Ship of the Line: - New Horizons
by fablesrogue
Summary: Ship of the Line fanfic with a twist. Thanks to the events of Halloween, Starfleet vessels suddenly began appearing in high orbit over Earth changing Earth's fate and its destiny. Including the destiny of one frelling Erpman.
1. Chapter 1

**Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Farscape Fanfiction**

 **Disclaimer: -** Don't own anything.

 **Summary: -** Ship of the Line fanfic with a twist. Thanks to the events of Halloween, Starfleet vessels suddenly began appearing in high orbit over Earth changing Earth's fate and its destiny. And the destiny of a frelling Erpman.

 **New Horizons**

* * *

 **Chapter One: -** **Boldly Going…**

 _ **Timeline: -**_

 _October 31_ _st_ _, 1997 – A chaos spell cast by Ethan Rayne creates a fleet of Starships, Earth Spacedock, Deep Space Nine, and the Utopia Planitia Shipyards in high orbit above the Earth over Sunnydale, California. Of the ships that appeared was the USS Defiant, the USS Voyager, the USS Enterprises NCC 1701 – D and NCC 1701 – E and lastly the USS Aventine. Several people, many of them teenagers, including Buffy Summers and her friends, Alexander Harris and Willow Rosenberg, Cordelia Chase and her clique of friends the Cordettes as well as many others, including several adults also, who were affected by the spell, had retained the knowledge of those they had become and managed to secure the fleet and accompanying facilities._

 _November 15_ _th_ _, 1997 – Under the direction of the officially decorated Admiral Rupert Giles and Vice Admiral(s) Jenny Calendar and Joyce Summers, the newly created Starfleet began the recruitment and training of new personnel. Some of these new recruits were IASA astronaut and scientist John Crichton, his father and former NASA astronaut Jack Crichton and his friend Douglas Knox (D.K.)_

 _December 27_ _th_ _– 31_ _st_ _, 1997 – On New Year's Eve the Starfleet board of Admiralty along with Starfleet's newest member Vice Admiral Jack Crichton and the Starfleet Special Advisory Council (the Scoobies and the Cordettes) deliberated for some time on the subject of revealing their existence to the United Nations. With voting eventually in favour of the move despite some objections, Admiral Giles, Vice Admiral(s) Summers and Calendar beamed down to the United Nations assembly and informed the gathered representatives of their intention to fall under the command of the UN; so that no one nation can seize control of the fledgling organisation._

 _January 1_ _st_ _, 1998 – Starfleet reveals itself to the general public._

 _January 8_ _th_ _, 1998 – With Starfleet officially ratified under the control of the UN, the slowly growing organisation begins to expand current operations. Training and recruitment is increased as Starfleet begins preparations to construct Starfleet Academy in San Francisco. With help of the fleet, Deep Space Nine is moved to the L2 Lagrange point, 1.5 million km from Earth. The Utopia Planitia Shipyards are moved to Mars. Earth Spacedock is officially renamed Starbase One._

 _January 13_ _th_ _, 1998 – Long range inter system scans reveal significant Tritanium and Duranium deposits on Mars, three of Saturn's Moons – Enceladus, Mimas, and Dione. Scans had also shown significant deposits of Dilithium on Titan and a large deposit of Benamite crystals on Rhea. Plans are made to set up and begin mining operations within the next eight months._

 _January 21_ _st_ _, 1998 – The heads of Utopia Planitia Shipyards, Jonathan Levinson, Warren Mears and Andrew Wells approached the Admiralty, the Advisory Council and the UN representatives with plans to build the next generation of ships that Starfleet had in various planning stages; ship classes in particular were the Luna, Vesta and Prometheus classes while keeping up production of the more well – known ship classes such as the Galaxy, Intrepid, Sovereign and Defiant as well as others. Consequently to save confusion, the Galaxy class USS Enterprise NCC 1701 – D had been rechristened the USS Venture and affixed with a new registration – NCC 78547; the Sovereign class USS Enterprise – E had been re – registered as NCC 1701 without the letter prefix, much to the disappointment of Andrew Wells._

 _January 25_ _th_ _– 31_ _st_ _, 1998 – More in depth discovery of the ships that appeared during what is now called the Halloween incident, has led to the discovery of several key features that the Advisory Council and the Admiralty have ordered to be implemented within the current production of Starfleet's ships. Most notably is the Romulan cloaking device aboard the USS Defiant, the Borg transwarp coil and other Borg technologies aboard the USS Voyager, the technology that Admiral Janeway had brought back in time with her from the 25_ _th_ _Century, notably being the transphasic torpedoes and the retractable ablative armour. Also discovered in the ship's memory banks was data pertaining to Harry Kim's and Seven of Nine's initial work on Quantum Slipstream technology. The discovery that the Enterprise D, now the USS Venture, had the Interphasing cloaking device that had been developed in secret and tested aboard the USS Pegasus (William Riker's first ship posting.) before that ship's destruction had been surprising. Discovered aboard the Aventine was a fully functional Quantum Slipstream drive. The Enterprise had been outfitted with ablative armour generators, transphasic torpedoes and higher rated Phaser arrays; upon discovery as to why, the Advisory Council was appalled to discover that the reasons for the refit was that the Borg had invaded the Alpha Quadrant en masse and had been systematically destroying Federation and allied worlds. This led to the summation that the ships had been pulled from the Star Trek universe at different points in time._

 _February 1_ _st_ _, 1998 – Fearing an incident where the Borg were somehow to be created from the technology discovered aboard the USS Voyager, the Special Advisory Council and the Admiralty ordered the more dangerous Borg technology to be removed from the ship and placed in isolation, much to the annoyance of Willow Rosenberg, who had expressed interest in studying said technology. Safe to say that her request was denied until safety measures could be implemented for safe study of the technology._

 _February 5_ _th_ _, 1998 – Newly appointed Commander(s) John Crichton and his friend DK, heading up Starfleet's fledgling Science and Engineering Departments approach the Advisory Council and the Admiralty with plans for the first miniaturised Quantum Slipstream Drive. After much consideration, they are given the go ahead for their project: Farscape._

 _February 7_ _th_ _, 1998 – Originally designed to prove Crichton's theory of using the Earth's gravity in order to perform a slingshot manoeuvre and achieve high speed acceleration, the Farscape One module undergoes a massive redesign and refit to facilitate the inclusion of Starfleet technology, specifically the Quantum Slipstream Drive._

 _June 16_ _th_ _, 1998 – The demonic group known as the Scourge detonate a magical weapon in downtown Los Angeles, thereby exposing the world at large to the supernatural. Millions of humans and non – violent demons were killed. Ironically enough the LA offices of Wolfram and Hart were caught in the attack as well, killing all employees in the building; the Senior Partners begin a recruitment drive._

 _June 18_ _th_ _, 1998 – After being in closed session for the last two days, the UN officially declared war on the Scourge and other violent demon sects. With the aid of the Watchers Council, Starfleet took the fight to them and with aid from the UN; Starfleet formed the MACO's. Commander Crichton's Farscape project is temporarily put on hold._

 _June 23_ _rd_ _, 1998 – Under orders from the UN and the President of the United States, the Demon Research Initiative is folded into Starfleet and Captain Riley Finn begins to lead the MACO's in the first of several successful battles against the Scourge and other violent demons._

 _February 3_ _rd_ _, 1999 – The Initiative is almost destroyed from within when project leader Dr. Margaret Walsh lost control over ADAM. The project took severe casualties before Finn, Lt Cmdr. Graham Miller and Lt. Forrest Gates managed to destroy ADAM's primary and secondary CPU, taking serious injuries themselves. Unfortunately, a stray blast from a fatally wounded Lt. Gate's Phaser hit ADAM in his uranium power core. With only seconds to spare the wounded Gates had moved over to ADAM's body and placed his communicator upon ADAM after he had contacted the Enterprise in orbit. Under the command of Captain Alexander Harris, the Enterprise beamed ADAM's body up into space and it was able to detonate safely. Lt. Gates died of his wounds shortly afterwards._

 _February 6_ _th_ _– 18_ _th_ _, 1999 – Margaret Walsh is arrested and tried for crimes against humanity when it was discovered that ADAM was made from combined parts of human, demon and cybernetic components. Sentenced to life imprisonment in maximum security, when asked if she had anything to say in her defence, stating that the ends had justified the means she was not apologising for trying to protect her species. This incident is what eventually leads to the Eugenics Weapons Test Ban Treaty of 1999._

 _February 20_ _th_ _, 1999 – Lt. Gates is posthumously awarded a Starfleet commendation. The first Defiant class vessel to be completed at Utopia Planitia is named USS Gates, NCC 78598. The violent demons step up their attacks. Upon discovery of the death of the second Slayer Kendra, Faith Lehane is called as the Slayer._

 _March 12_ _th_ _, 1999 – Mayor Wilkins' plans for Ascension are discovered when his Deputy Mayor brings significant evidence to Starfleet's attention. Upon discovery of these facts and with knowledge of what he intended, Mayor Wilkins is arrested, tried, and executed. His last words were 'Well gosh!'_

 _March 19_ _th_ _, 1999 – After much deliberation by the Advisory Council and the Admiralty, the Farscape project is reinstated, while working on the changes to the original Farscape One Module in his own home; Commander Crichton is attacked and almost killed by two unknown demon types. The Farscape project is nearly put on hold once more until Commander Crichton heals from his injuries. Crichton's friend DK takes over the project temporarily._

 _May 18_ _th_ _, 1999 – The Scourge track down Ethan Rayne and coerce him to perform another spell to beseech Janus. Fearing for his life, Rayne performed the spell to the Scourge's satisfaction, bringing ships to this reality that can rival Starfleet's. Two days later Rayne is discovered dead shortly afterward by a MACO patrol squad in Oakland._

 _June 1_ _st_ _, 1999 – The Scourge launched a three pronged attack in the solar system; they attacked Utopia Planitia, Deep Space Nine and Earth in Klingon Ships that they had Ethan Rayne bring forth into reality. The attack fails with Starfleet driving the enemy out of the system, but the Scourge still managed to inflict heavy losses on Starfleet. The war steps up._

 _June 9_ _th_ _, 1999 – Commander Crichton resumes leadership of the Farscape project; upon discovery that DK had completed the Farscape One Module, Crichton and his friend approached the Advisory Council for permission for a test flight of their miniature quantum slipstream drive._

 _June 11_ _th_ _, 1999 – The Starfleet Advisory Council and the Admiralty sign off on the Farscape test flight. Farscape One is scheduled to launch in two weeks._

* * *

 _ **06:50 June 25**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 1999**_

 _ **Farscape One Test Flight**_

 _ **Starbase One**_

He sat there in the lounge looking out the window down upon Earth; as he looked out at North America, he couldn't help but wonder how the war was going down there… and that was a depressing thought. He had enough to worry about today with the test flight and everything, thinking about what the Scourge was up to next wasn't helping him in the slightest. Besides that was a job for the Advisory Council and the Admiralty.

As he saw the sun rising above the Earth, he watched as Voyager and the Defiant continued on their routine patrol of the solar system. Latest intelligence reports had stated that the Scourge had been probing for weaknesses along the outskirts of the system near Pluto and Neptune; he knew that Starfleet... and nearly two years on, it was still crazy to know that Starfleet was and is a reality.

He sobered, but then so was magic. And demons and vampires. It was a strange concept for him, thinking of the two things that were so completely different yet here they were, hand in hand. He shook his head free of those thoughts as he had his own insecurities to sort out. There was just something about today… a feeling…

John shook his head again, trying to clear it. It was probably just pre – flight nerves or something; as he looked at his watch and checked the time, he got up out of his seat and walked over to the window and looked out at the blue green orb that was his home.

"I thought that I'd find you here."

John turned around at the voice of one Alexander Harris, Captain of the Enterprise. That was a heady concept to think of still. An eighteen year old teenager was a Captain of one of Earth's most powerful Starships. "Just thinking… sir." And that was another thing as well. Calling him sir. Don't get him wrong, Xander was a great guy; funny to be around and a sense of humour that rivalled DK's, but when he thought about what he and his friends had been doing for the last two and a half years, who and what they had been fighting, John wouldn't say it out loud, but he was in damned awe of the young man and his friends.

"It's Xander, John." Xander said as he approached the man and stood next to him as they looked out over Earth. "Today's the day huh; you must be feeling pretty nervous?"

"Yeah." He turned and looked at his friend. "I still can't get my head around it… all this sometimes! All of this!" He said to the young Captain.

Xander understood where the astronaut was coming from; even he still couldn't believe everything that had happened since 1997.

"Last year before Giles revealed Starfleet to the UN and to the world, the Farscape project was supposed to be used to test a theory. A theory!" John started; Xander listened as Crichton explained that the module was designed to see if it was possible to use the Earth's natural gravitational pull to increase its speed. "That's what I was set out to prove, that my theory was right. My mind's been blown away thinking of concepts like warp theory and quantum slipstream. Now I'm testing out a miniaturised engine. I was originally all set to drive a Ferrari, now I'm suddenly driving a tricked out Lamborghini."

"There's nothing wrong with that, John. Sometimes it's good to actually do something like this every now and then, you know? " Xander said.

"Yes there is, Xander." Crichton stated emphatically. "When Halloween ended and the ships and facilities stayed and you decided to use them, did you or the others ever feel like you were moving too fast so suddenly, I mean here you were suddenly filled with knowledge about twenty – fourth century technology and access to Starships and humans as a species hadn't even been to Mars yet?"

"Yes." Xander said truthfully. "Definitely, how could we not, John?" Xander rebutted before continuing. "Sometimes some of us still do. Look where we are at now; we're on the eve of testing a miniaturised Quantum Slipstream Drive and we're at war with demons with access to Starships."

"I know that Xander, but I still can't get over the feeling that because of Halloween, my project has been took over." Crichton finished quietly. Xander looked at the man and could feel his despair over the matter, the feeling of disillusionment was palpable to him. "While a part of me likes playing with all of the fancy new future tech, giving my Module all the latest toys and gadgets and bells and whistles, another part of me can't help but resent the fact that my module isn't the module I that designed anymore."

"That's ridiculous John, of course it's your module, regardless of whatever's put into it. She's your baby, John that's not going to change." Xander said trying to console him, but John still had that nagging doubt, or was it something else.

The silence stretched as both men didn't know what to say to each other; whilst Xander did understand how John felt, he didn't know how to help John with his problems. The silence stretched further and Crichton felt like a heel for unloading his feelings upon his young friend, he decided that a change of subject was needed. "How's the Enterprise doing? She got pretty banged up chasing after the Scourge near Barnard's Star."

Xander was kind of grateful for the change in subject. "Not just the Enterprise, the D took a beating as well." Xander said, still calling the Venture by the old Enterprise D prefix; as he remembered chasing the Scourge's fleet of Klingon ships out of the solar system when they had launched their three sided attack. "It took us completely by surprise when we found that they were in possession of Klingon Starships. But they're doing OK. The boys at Mars say that the D is nearly repaired. The Enterprise just got out of dry – dock this morning." The young Captain finished.

"Where's she headed off to now then?" Crichton asked looking at the young man.

"Outer system patrol. Long range sensors have picked up the Scourge trying to poke holes in our defences near Pluto, but we've detected a build – up of ships out by Wolf 359. Giles wants the Enterprise to head out and investigate; I think he's hoping that having the Enterprise out there backing up the Aventine and the new Prometheus ships will discourage them from attacking again."

"And what do you think?" John asked, curious about Xander's opinion.

"They're going to attack regardless, whether the Enterprise is there or not." He said flatly. "The only question is when." Xander shook his head, tired of talking about the Scourge and this damned war for the moment. "What times the test flight?"

"07:30." Crichton replied. "I'm heading down there now; DK's probably worrying I'm not gonna turn up or something." Crichton turned fully to face Xander and extended his right hand, Xander returned the gesture and shook John's hand.

"Good luck out there, John." Xander said. "I'll see you when I get back."

"Right, Xan. I'll see you then." John returned before both men let go and John moved off toward the Turbolift. Xander watched him go as Crichton neared the door and stepped inside as the Turbolift opened and allowed him entry.

"Shuttlebay five." John called out, as the lift began moving towards its destination, John pondered just what it was that he was doing. "Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?" He muttered as he leaned against the wall of the Turbolift. "Maybe he's right and it is just pre – flight nerves." Crichton shook his head again, trying to free himself of his doubts, he shouldn't be thinking like this now.

As the Turbolift came to a stop and the doors opened it was as if that he knew by magic that DK was waiting there. In the two years since they and his dad had been recruited, DK had changed; wearing a Starfleet engineer's uniform Douglas Knox was a stark contrast from how he used to be. Gone was the T – shirts and shorts and sandals and trainers, unless he was off duty. DK now looked like a consummate professional. The last two years had been good to him, allowing him to work with this technology. "There you are." DK started as John got out of the Turbolift and made his way towards the Shuttlebay ready room.

"John? Is everything all right? Hey john?!" DK called out to him as he quickly caught up to his friend. Along the way as they were walking, he saw through an observation window the module surrounded by a team of technicians and engineers. It was bigger than he had originally intended it to be; originally envisioning the craft to be no bigger than five meters long and three meters wide, Farscape One was now double that. He looked at the nacelles that had been fitted into the design of the module as well as the main deflector array affixed into the bored out nose of the module. He also saw a type XIV shield generator fixed atop of the module, a type XIII phaser array affixed at the aft of the module and two of the newest type XVI pulse phaser arrays that Jonny had been working on at Utopia Planitia affixed at the fore. He didn't think that they were ready to be installed yet.

"Yeah… yeah." John said finally acknowledging the man. "Everything's fine D. Just nerves or something."

DK nodded and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Well good. Come on, everything's nearly ready." He said as he led Crichton into the ready room and he made his way over to a nearby table covered with a few data pads.

"So how's she looking?" Crichton asked.

"The module's looking fine John." DK responded as he perused a specific data pad and cross checked the data on another pad. "The latest computer simulations showed that everything was performing as it should be." The engineer and scientist stated. "The data showed that the module's drive had performed exactly as it should; the energy was focused through the ships' main deflector and generated a quantum field that penetrated through the quantum barrier."

"What about the phase variance?" John asked.

"Phase variance was nominal and well within normal parameters. The on – board computer was fast enough to keep with and make the appropriate phase corrections and the simulation showed that the drive's quantum matrix remained stable throughout." DK said as he looked at his friend. "John, the quantum threshold held. It's going to work."

"Alright, how about everything else, the RCS thrusters, the –" Crichton asked.

"The RCS thrusters, impulse drive and life support systems are functioning normally, as are navigation and helm control. Inertial dampeners are online and sensors are nominal and the communications system is fully functional. Should anything go wrong with the drive, the main ejection system reports as fully functional and the back – up warp core reads nominal… and before you ask, yes the matter/anti – matter intermix chamber reports as nominal as well."

"And what about the weapons systems and shields, D?" John asked.

DK sighed, he knew that John had been dead set against having the weapons and defences installed on the module, but his father had overruled him, due to the war with the Scourge. "Weapons and shields are functional as well, John." The scientist said as reassuring as he could. "As of 07:00, launch conditions are optimal." A smile suddenly adorned DK's face. "Final checks are underway and Captain Chase is standing by with the USS Gates in position."

John chuckled a little. "You still hoping for a date with her, man? She's eighteen. And a Captain of a warship, besides, she and Xander are still together as far as I know." He finished with a sardonic grin.

"Don't take away my dream, buddy." DK pleaded.

John chuckled and held his hands up in surrender before he sobered. "Okay… how are the CRC numbers?"

"Mid – 30's and holding." DK said as he looked at another pad with the information on it. "However Ops has got some kind of hiccup on the sensors they're currently checking out –"

"What hiccup?" John asked as he looked at his friend. "I wasn't informed about any hiccup."

"Will you relax, John." DK said/half pleaded. "It's probably some type of sensor glitch." He sighed as John whipped the data pad from his hand and turns away to read it himself; maybe this is what had got him so nervous, John thought to himself. As he read the pad, DK grabbed a magazine from the table that had been near the collection of pads. He had been reading that magazine before and seeing how wound up his friend was he tried another tactic to relax his friend. "See our latest press? 'Childhood friends, originally set out to prove a theory, now test out new propulsion engine.' Huh?" It didn't work as it was another reminder for John that his original theory had been left high and dry and without a word, Crichton whipped the magazine out of DK's hand and tossed it away before turning away.

"Man, what is wrong with you?" DK asked exasperated.

John took a breath to calm down. "D, you know that feeling you have the night before something really big is about to happen in your life?" He asked before continuing. "It's… it's like the night before graduation, it's the night before we started thinking about the slingshot theory, and the night we thought about signing up with Xander, Buffy and the others… I had that same feeling last night when I was having my check up in the Infirmary."

DK seemed troubled by John's seriousness. "Is this experiment that important to you?"

John sighed. "I don't know… sometimes I feel like that we got swept up in the moment when the Scoobies talked us into this."

"John… I know that we were looking forward to proving the slingshot theory could be done…" DK started to say, but before he could finish the door to the ready room opened and he watched as John's father entered the room quietly. He quietly alerted John. "Uh – oh, one small step buddy…" As DK broke away from John, Crichton spun and faced his father, Admiral Jack Crichton. Both men stood to attention.

"Easy John, I just came to see how you we're doing." Jack said in his usual Texan drawl. "You're looking pretty sharp there, Commander Crichton." Jack said before acknowledging DK.

"Sir." The man said respectfully.

"Thanks dad." John said with a small smile; he and DK shared a look for a moment as along uncomfortable silence suddenly descends upon the three of them. "Let's do this thing." John spoke suddenly as he turned and then moved towards the ready room door that led out into the Shuttlebay. Jack and DK looked at each other for a moment before following John out.

Walking over to the module John approached the ten meter craft from the nose and began to do an inspection of the craft; as he started to look at the main deflector his father and DK approached him from behind. DK walked over to a group of technicians that were standing to the right side of the craft and conferred with them while Jack began talking to his son. "I uh… talked to Maxwell and the others at Ops. They're gonna take real good care of you while you're out there." John moved onward and started to look over the portside nacelle and the wing as Jack continued. "I heard that you went AWOL from the Infirmary during your check – up…" John laughed and looked back at Jack. "… Man, back in my day at NASA, if I had ever broken quarantine like that, they would have –" Jack cut himself off as the realisation that his son might be worried about the test flight kicked in. "Son, have you got rattlers in your stomach?"

John turned to look at his dad, feigning machoism. "Aw… I've been up on the shuttle before dad, remember? Twice. And that was before we worked for Starfleet."

"It didn't matter how many times I went up, John." Jack started. "Every time – rattlers. First EVA, first time I walked on the moon –"

John headed off his father's recitation of his resume for NASA as he finished checking the impulse exhaust vents at the rear of the craft; unbeknownst to them DK glanced at them for a moment before he went back to conferring with the technicians. "I'm not goin' on the moon, dad. I'm not walking on the moon. I'm just doing a test flight."

"Yeah, an' that's the problem isn't it?" Jack asked. "It's not your slingshot theory that you're setting out to prove, it's an experimental engine." Jack looked at his son. "John, it was you an' DK that came to the Advisory Council with this."

"I know, dad." John interrupted.

Jack continued. "I know that you were all for proving your slingshot theory, so why did you come to the council with this if you don't even want to do it?"

John looked at him. "I don't not want to do it, dad. I want to do it. I want to do this!" Crichton said resolutely before he sighed. "It's just…"

"Just what?" The Admiral asked seriously.

"You get the feeling that we've moved too far, too fast?" John asked. "I mean the furthest that man has ever gone in outer space on a manned space flight before '97 was Apollo 13. Now here we are nearly two and a half years later and we're talking about setting up listening posts for the Scourge near Barnard's Star and Luhman 16. Luhman's six and a half light years away, dad."

Jack sighed. "Son, I get what you're saying I really do. Hell even I still have trouble understanding some of the concepts that we've uncovered, but human's as a species are curious… even before Starfleet. It's why you wanted to prove your slingshot theory in the first place. To see if it could be done."

"I know." John said.

"But even if the theory's changed, John. You're still setting out to prove your _own_ idea." Jack said. "Whether it's a slingshot theory or testing a prototype engine, do you have any idea how proud of you that makes me? That's something I never did, son. All the guy's that are wearing button – down collars and neckties, they got to use their brains. All I ever got to use was my –"

Smiling a little, John cut his dad off by finishing his father's sentence as he'd heard Jack say it before. "Guts! And the seat of m' flight suit!" He finished with a sardonic chuckle.

As John steps around and checks the starboard side of the module, Jack continued. "John, I can't help bein' who I am… who I was."

John stopped and looked at him. "God dad, it's not who you are. I love who you are. It's being the _son_ of who you are." John and Jack chuckled a little but it faded fast as John continued. "Look I… uh… I can't be your kind of hero."

"No, you can't be. And I don't want you to be son." Jack said. "Each man gets the chance to be his _own_ kind of hero John. Your time will come and when it does, watch out. Chances are it'll be the last thing you'll ever expect." As he finished, Jack fished something out of his pants pocket and held it up for John to see.

John saw the glint of it as it reflected the light off of the interior lighting in the Shuttlebay; the Commander recognised it instantly. "Oh no. That's your good luck charm. Yuri Gagarin gave you that." He said as he started to inspect the module's cockpit.

"Well now I'm giving it to you." Jack said insistent. "Listen, you hang onto it and later tonight when you get back you can give it back to me tonight. Alright?"

Hesitantly John reached out and took the ring. "Thanks dad." John smiled at his father before the old man nodded in return.

"I'll be up in Ops watching the flight; Rupert and Jenny are planet side at the academy. I talked to them earlier, they hope the test goes well. Joyce is at DS9. We've got the press on board waiting in the lounge. Good luck, son." Jack said before he turned around and exited the Shuttlebay.

As Jack left, DK had finished conferring with the technicians and walked over to John. "Well that didn't look so bad." He said before he continued. "Does everything check out?"

"John waited a moment as he finished checking the module's auxiliary systems before he answered. "… She looks good." He said. "It feels weird not needing to wear a flight suit."

DK smiled. "The benefits of having good environmental subsystems and inertial dampening technology. G forces are a thing of the past my friend." The scientist said. "Come on, it's almost time."

"Right." Crichton said.

DK looked at the technicians and engineers muddled about around the module and the Shuttlebay. "Alright everyone, we are a go for launch. Let's clear this equipment out of the way." He called out as John climbed into the module. Crichton gave himself a moment to settle as everyone moved the equipment out of the way of the module. DK looked back at John. "OK, remember the test area is a hundred thousand kilometres out from the Starbase."

"I know." John said, reassuring his friend.

"And remember that you need to be at full impulse before you initiate the main deflector and focus the quantum field." DK repeated.

"I know, D." John repeated again. "Relax."

DK forced himself to breathe slowly, taking John's advice. "OK. Did your dad tell you about the press?" John nodded. "Well, the broadcast is about to start."

"You watch it." John said to his friend.

As DK nodded and activated the status display monitor on the module and set it to receive the press broadcast, John protested. "Hey, come on!"

"Hang on." DK rebutted as the status display monitor changed to show the press coverage.

"… _Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for coming. Well as you can see from the flight clock…"_ The Starfleet Public Announcer indicated to a display monitor to her right of the podium. " _… We are at T – minus ten minutes and eighteen seconds on the clock. We are going to begin this major experimental test flight of the new miniaturised Quantum Slipstream Drive. Commander John Crichton, the son of Admiral Jack Crichton will pilot a craft of his own design as an experimental testbed to test the viability of the design. If successful, the results are anticipated to be the first concrete step towards exploring the galaxy at large. The test flight will consist of a short trip to the Procyon Star System, which is a little over eleven light years from Earth…_ "

"Well, at least Joanna isn't just a pretty face." John joked as he watched the broadcast and the blonde female New England born Public Announcer. "Come on." He said to DK as he switched the monitor off.

DK laughed as he stepped back from the module. "I'm gonna head on up to Ops." DK said as he moved back. "I'll see you when you get back."

Minutes later as everyone stood away from the module, Crichton looked over at DK and gave him a thumbs – up before the module hatch automatically lowered and sealed itself and its pilot inside, DK left the Shuttlebay at that moment. John started up the module's RCS thruster assembly and the impulse engines as the Shuttlebay duty officer opened the Shuttlebay doors.

Crichton waited as the doors opened exposing the Shuttlebay to the view of space, it was an incredible sight as John waited for the doors to fully retract; he looked back to see DK and everyone else safe from harm from being sucked out into open vacuum thanks to the Shuttlebay's force field keeping the atmosphere inside looking excited as they also looked out at the view.

As the doors finally retracted the module's communications system kicked in. " _Farscape One, you are cleared for launch._ " Said the voice of the Shuttlebay duty officer.

"Roger that, Shuttlebay. I am clear for launch." John said in response before he switched the communications to the Operations frequency. "Farscape One to Ops, permission to disembark from Spacedock?"

" _This is Operations,_ _Permission granted. Good luck and Godspeed Farscape One."_ The voice of the Ops duty officer said over the comms.

"Roger." A moment later, the module slowly, surely rose from the floor of the Shuttlebay and slowly headed forwards out of the Shuttlebay under the power of the RCS thrusters. "Yeah that doesn't feel weird." John muttered sardonically as the module passed through the atmospheric force field before he flew the module fully out of the Shuttlebay.

* * *

 _ **Somewhere else in the Solar System**_

"Sir, the humans have launched their module." Said the voice of one of the warriors of the Scourge at the Sensor station aboard a cloaked Klingon Bird of Prey.

"Signal the others, stand by to attack." The Ship leader ordered his crew. "We wait until the humans have begun their test flight. Tell the ships to move in. We target the Starbase first."

"Yes, sir." The demon at the communications station replied.

The Ship leader, a demon called Murg pondered at the upcoming destruction that they were about to inflict upon the humans. He knew that the pilot of the test craft was one of the human Admiral's spawn; Murg donned a look of malice upon his rotting and scarred face; he wanted to let the human Admiral see his son die before he would grant him death as well.

* * *

 _ **Farscape One**_

A minute later out in open space, John could tell that the flight crew in the Shuttlebay were jumping around for joy as they watched the culmination of their work for the last two years fly. He could hardly blame them, even he had to admit even to himself as well, it did feel great despite his reservations. He allowed himself a small smile before he flew the module out fifty metres before he switched over to the impulse drive. "Starbase One, this is Farscape One. I am free and flying." John said as he opened the communications channel to Ops. "Are you with me there, Momma Bear?"

" _Farscape, I'm reading you loud and clear._ " DK's voice said over the comms. John could tell that his friend was smiling. " _You are clear to proceed._ "

Then a voice other than DK's comes over the communication. " _Son…_ " It was Jack. " _… I've arranged a little surprise for you. Look above._ "

John frowned a minute before the Farscape One's sensors registered three incoming objects coming from behind Starbase One. Looking up through the hatch dorsal viewport John gaped. "Whoa…" At full impulse, the USS Voyager, Defiant and Xander's ship, the Enterprise quickly sped into view and sailed over the module before all three Starships veered off, John watched as the Enterprise set course towards Pluto while Voyager and the Defiant headed back toward Earth orbit. "... Now that is something…"

" _Good luck Son, and Godspeed._ " Jack's voice said once more over the comms.

'Thanks again, dad.' John thought before he acknowledged DK's message. "Roger that, Ops, I am unfolding the wings and engaging full impulse." He said as he activated the controls to unfurl the module's wings.

" _Acknowledged Farscape._ " DK's voice called out; John quickly engaged the impulse engines and the module quickly accelerated to one quarter of lightspeed; in under six seconds Farscape One had passed the Earth's moon, travelling at a hundred and sixty – seven million miles per hour. And John hardly felt it.

"Starbase One, I have just past beyond lunar orbiting position. I am authorising the flight computer to activate the main deflector and initiating the quantum field… now." John reported.

" _Roger Farscape One, you are a go for Quantum Slipstream procedure._ " DK's voice responded.

And as Crichton started to initiate the procedure, the module's impulse thrusters flared brighter and the module momentarily accelerated faster. As the Commander checked and monitored the small crafts' status display , he spoke. "Approaching maximum impulse… now! Activating quantum field in five… four… three –"

And that was when everything went to hell in a hand basket.

DK's voice came over the comms as John and the module was about to breach the quantum barrier. " _Farscape One, hold a moment. What the –"_ Over the comms. DK's voice took on a tinge of worry. " _Oh my God._ _Red Alert!_ "

"Hold? Starbase One, say again." John replied. 'Did DK just signal a Red Alert?!'

" _Red Alert, Scourge Birds of Prey decloaking fifty thousand kilometres off of starboard! Reading weapons lock on Starbase One and… oh no…_ " DK's voice called out over the comms.

Over the comms. Crichton heard his father's voice order for the shields to be raised and the Starbase's weapons to be armed. "Dad! DK! What?!"

" _Far…pe… do y… r..d… ab..t fl.… s.y… agai… Abor… fli…!_ " DK's suddenly broken voice called out over the comms. John looked at his status display and saw that the communications subspace band was being jammed by the Scourge.

"Oh crap!" John said out loud as the module's sensors registered a weapons lock.

" _Th… Sc..rg… h.v… yo… .t.d…!"_ DK''s voice called out again. Just then, Farscape One was rocked by a near weapons impact as a Scourge claimed K'vort class Bird of Prey came upon Crichton's module on full impulse.

As John tried to move out of the way of the incoming weapons fire, Jack's voice came over the garbled comms. " _Son… ab..t…! You… … t… !_ "

* * *

 _ **Starbase One**_

 _ **Operations**_

Thanks to the demons, things had degenerated quickly. As Jack tried to reach his Son's craft, the massive station took heavy weapons fire as the Scourge ships unloaded barrages of photon torpedoes and disruptor fire against their shields.

Then DK's voice called out. "John, DS9! Head to Deep Space Nine!"

Jack looked at the scientist. "DK, have you managed to break through the jamming?!"

"I think so, Sir!" DK said as he rushed a series of commands into the console.

"You think so?!" Jack repeated. "Son, I think you had better find out and fast!" The Admiral ordered.

"I'm trying, Sir!" And Jack knew that the young man was; the older man berated himself momentarily as he knew that DK wouldn't leave his son out there alone.

"Admiral…!" It was the former Cordette, Aurora. Starbase One's Tactical and Weapons Officer. "Three Scourge Birds of Prey, coming up from behind us, they're charging weapons. They're firing!" The station rocked momentarily under the combined assault as the shields held against the onslaught. "Shields at eighty – two percent and holding!"

"Aurora, target those ships, quantum torpedoes. Full spread!"

"Aye, Sir!" Aurora replied as she followed the Admiral's order. "Birds of Prey targeted, firing!" As Aurora fired, she and everyone watched on the view screen as two of the enemy ships, which the targeting computers had identified as B'rel class Birds of Prey exploded on impact as the torpedoes ripped through their shields. The other enemy ship, another K'vort class had been struck amid ships and everyone watched as the ship spun suddenly out of control and collided amid ships with a nearby Vor'cha class.

"Outstanding, Aurora." The Admiral called out as the station rocked under another assault from the Birds of Prey at the fore of the massive station. As the view screen changed to show the other group of enemy ships, Admiral Crichton ordered: "Targets those ships, phasers, full spread!"

As Aurora worked to acquire a weapons lock on the other group of enemy vessels, the station rocked again under another assault. "Enemy vessels targeted!"

"Fire!" The Admiral ordered.

As the phaser energy overloaded and burnt through the enemy vessel's shields and struck, another two Birds of Prey exploded whilst two more started listing away from the station.

"Sir…!" DK called out from the science station. "… I'm reading more incoming vessels… they're Starfleet!"

"Who is it?" The Admiral ordered.

"It's the Enterprise… and the Aventine!" DK called out with a glimmer of hope in his voice. But then DK face grew more concerned as he checked the sensors. "Sir, one of the Birds of Prey has changed course! It's heading away from us!"

"Where is it going?" Jack asked.

After a moment, DK checked the Bird of Prey's heading. "It's going after John."

The world suddenly bottomed out from under Jack's feet as he heard the news. "The Defiant and Voyager have also rerouted the enemy forces attacking Earth. They're coming to help." The scientist reported.

"Signal the Enterprise." The Admiral ordered, concerned for his son. "Tell Captain Harris to intercept that ship and save my son!" He ordered.

"Aye, Sir." DK responded. He was just about to do that when the station's long range sensors picked up an electromagnetic disturbance near John's position. "Uh, Admiral Crichton, Sir…"

* * *

 _ **Farscape One**_

John was grateful that the signal disruption had cleared up somewhat; he assumed that someone at Ops on the Starbase was trying to clean up the subspace comms. jamming and had nearly succeeded. 'Probably DK.' John thought as he valiantly dodged incoming weapons fire. He decided to follow DK's advice, but seeing as there was a Scourge ship trying to blow him into little tiny pieces, he thought it best. Still taking fire from the Bird of Prey, Crichton did his best to dodge the weapons fire as best as he could but a glancing blow from the Bird of Prey's disruptors had hit the Quantum Slipstream Drives' core housing on the module.

"Holy…!" Crichton exclaimed as the module went into a spin for a moment before the pilot recovered the craft and noticed that the slipstream drive had been damaged. "… Starfleet Command, this is Farscape One, I've been hit, I say again, I've been hit! Slipstream drive is offline, impulse engines are offline… I've lost RCS thrusters and inertial dampeners." There was a flash of blue light off to the portside of the module, and then a flash of green as the Bird of Prey decided to take another pot – shot at him. The shields of the module barely held as the small craft began to spin end over end towards the blue light. With the Scourge Bird of Prey following right behind him.

" _John!_ " Jack's voice called out over the comms. " _There's some kind of electromagnetic disturbance near your position… It's pulling you towards it! John! Do you read? The Enterprise is on its way to your position! John!_ "

Crichton heard the message, but to his detriment, he quickly discovered that he couldn't transmit as the weapons fire had knocked out his transmission capability. "And I've lost transmission capability it seems." He said more to himself, grimacing.

John checked to see what functionality his module still had. After a few moments he was grateful to discover that the sensors were still operational; he focused the module's sensors towards the blue light before the increasingly closer light suddenly emitted an electromagnetic wave that encompassed both the module and the pursuing demon filled craft.

Then the Bird of Prey fired again at the small craft but missed as the spinning craft was suddenly pulled faster and faster into the disturbance. Spinning John missed the arrival of the Enterprise firing on the K'vort class Bird of Prey, the enemy vessel suddenly spun out of control over the Farscape One module as he was fixated on the disturbance.

When the K'vort hit the centre of the anomaly, another wave of electromagnetic energy erupted from the nexus of the disturbance and washed over the module as the Bird of Prey suddenly disappeared down what looked to John was like a blue shimmering sinkhole in space. He looked towards his sensors and was dismayed this time to see that they had been knocked out as the module was pulled more violently towards the sinkhole. Desperate, John tried everything he could to get away. "Starfleet Command… DK… I'm being pulled in…" John tried. "… DAD!" John screamed as finally the module was pulled inside the anomaly and disappeared. It's only witness was the Enterprise and its crew.

* * *

 _ **Enterprise**_

Xander watched from the centre of the Enterprises' Bridge as John's craft was pulled into the anomaly that suddenly appeared. "Transporter Room, can you get a lock on Commander Crichton and the module?" He asked over the ships' internal communications.

" _I'm trying, Captain._ " The voice of the Enterprise's transporter officer replied over the comms. " _There's too much electromagnetic interference from the anomaly. I'm trying to compensate._ "

"Try harder, Lieutenant." Xander ordered.

" _Aye, Sir…_ " The officer replied. "… _attempting to narrow the annular confinement -_ _I'm losing the signal!_ " Just then the module disappeared down the sinkhole.

"Get it back!" Xander ordered.

" _I can't, Captain. The anomaly is emitting high end electromagnetic interference. Commander Crichton's gone, sir._ "

* * *

 _ **Starbase One**_

So far the battle had turned towards Starfleet's favour; as the Defiant targeted a Scourge claimed Negh'var class ship with the assistance of the Starbase's weapons the enemy vessel rocked under the assault as their shields finally failed and Starfleet forces pressed their attack until the Negh'var was nothing but floating debris in space. Then the Defiant turned its attention toward a Vor'cha class ship that was giving Voyager a pounding.

The Ops officers on board the station watched as the Defiant assisted Voyager and then the two ships quickly turned the tables on the enemy, but seeing as how the human's had decimated their forces, the Vor'cha quickly turned away and engaged warp, leaving the scene of the battle and the two Starfleet vessels alone amongst the wreckage of burnt out and destroyed ships.

Just then, DK spoke: "Admiral, incoming hail… it's from the Enterprise."

As Jack worked to assist Aurora in putting out a fire that started when a console had exploded in a shower of sparks during the attack, he turned towards DK. "On screen." Jack turned to look at the view screen as Xander's solemn face appeared. "Xander, did you –"

" _Admiral… sir, I'm sorry._ " Xander said before continuing. " _John disappeared into some kind of sinkhole. Our sensors are unable to get a clear reading from it. My science officer believes that it could be some kind of –"_

Xander trailed off as he saw the Admiral and DK's shock visibly on their faces. He turned towards the stations Weapons Officer. " _Aurora, tell the Admiral that we'll be returning when we've managed to get all the sensor data we can from the anomaly._ "

"It's still there?" The Weapons Officer asked.

"Yes." Xander said before the girl nodded. "I'll contact Cordy and tell her to get back to Earth." He said before he looked back at the Admiral and then over at DK.

Jack wasn't listening, neither was DK. All they heard was that John, basically was gone. As one silently mourned a friend, the other a Son, Xander saw the despair that John's closest friend and father were under and decided to cease the communication.

* * *

 ** _Authors Note: -_**

Hello everyone, I'm back. And with a new SotL story. OK, first things first; there had been questions as to where am I, when is such and such going to be updated. I want you all to know that my current fics are still very much active, alive and writing. The reason why they were and for the time being, still delayed is because seven months ago my father was diagnosed with bowel cancer back in April. He was given four months to live without treatment. He lasted seven. Last week my father died peacefully in his sleep in hospital and his funeral was yesterday.

This was a trying time for me and my family as we were very close to my father and we're saddened by his loss in our lives.

I ask for you all to please be patient, the fics are coming. In the meantime please enjoy the beginning of this new little bit of excitement from me.

Read and Review.

Enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: -** **Boldly Going… (Part.2.)**

 **Disclaimer: -** See Chapter One.

* * *

 _ **Farscape One**_

Tumbling through the anomaly with barely any power going to any of the module's systems, there wasn't much of anything John could do except to ride it out as best he could. "AAAAHHHHHH!" Well that and scream as he sat there looking out of the hatch windshield, whilst travelling at speeds he couldn't even react to. It was like an irregularly shaped tunnel with walls of shimmering quicksilver and hues of blue; as the anomaly started twisting and turning the module travelled deeper and deeper into it.

Frantically, John tried the controls one last time as he attempted to regain control of the craft but as a sudden bump and a collision with the interior walls of the anomaly occurred, John hit his head against the hatch and knocked himself out.

His head wobbled as he started coming around; groggily Crichton slowly came to and slowly took in the module's status. "Oh God! I can't –" He trailed off as he quickly restarted the module's power systems. A minute passed as John finally reinitialised the subspace communications. "Yes, thank you God!" He quietly exclaimed and as dignified as he could he opened communications. "Starfleet Command, this is Farscape One. I'm OK, I say again, I'm OK."

As he checked his status display, John had even more cause for celebration as the RCS thruster assembly and inertial dampeners registered as being back online. "Starfleet, module's systems are coming back online." He reported, he was a little disappointed that the module's sensors hadn't reactivated yet. "Sensors are non – operational…" He checked the systems status display again and saw finally that the module's impulse drive had reinitialised. "I have impulse. Warp drive is…" He checked. "… is offline. Weapons and shields are offline." John checked the Quantum Slipstream Drive. He grimaced. "Slipstream drive is trashed."

Then he remembered. "Starfleet, no sign of the Scourge Bird of Prey. I'm really hoping that the Enterprise took it out as I am defenceless." John wouldn't admit it, but he was becoming concerned when he was getting no response back from Starfleet. He hoped that the Station was still there. "Starbase One, do you copy?" No answer. "Please guys, be there… DK? Dad, are you there?" He prayed that they were there. He remembered that the Scourge had attacked Earth and the station, but he didn't know how big a force they had. "Where are you guys?!" He called out suddenly. "Enterprise? Xand –"

He trailed off as he suddenly noticed the darkness outside the module's hatch, and the indistinct shapes of the huge asteroids drifting in the black nearby. For a second there, John really hoped that he had drifted into the asteroid belt. "Oh… crap."

Suddenly the module was rocked by two small black fighter sized space vehicles as they roared past his position at close range, Crichton instinctually yipped and ducked inside the module. "What the –?" He asked out loud. "Uh… Starfleet Command?" Again there was no answer. "Enterprise?! Xander?! Can anybody hear me?!"

Outside the module, another of the small black spacecraft had come up behind the module, but it had been too close. "Whoa!" Crichton was momentarily rocked inside the module as the small unknown craft clipped one of his wings and quickly spun out of control as it headed towards one of the asteroids. John watched as the craft disappeared in a small violent explosion. "Shit!" He exclaimed as alarms frantically went inside of the module's cockpit.

"Starfleet Command, I've been hit!" John reported, still hoping that they were still there. "I say again, I been hit! Starfleet?! Enterprise?! Can you hear me?!" He called out again as he quickly stabilised the small white craft. "Screw it." He muttered as he activated the module's manual controls and managed to get the RCS thrusters back online and slowly, barely cleared the asteroid field. Minutes later when he had cleared the field and was in open space, John had gone very quiet.

"Oh… crap." He muttered wide – eyed as he saw the two small black spacecraft from earlier swarming and _attacking_ another spaceship. And what a ship it was! With golden – bronze skin and the sleek lines of a great sea animal, but a large black structure at what looked like the front end, the ship was big. To John, it looked like that the unknown giant dwarfed the Voyager and Enterprise combined. "That's big." He said to himself as he momentarily stared. "That's really big!" With a sudden pull coming seemingly out of nowhere, Crichton then realised that the Farscape was being pulled directly toward the huge vessel.

"Oh hell." He exclaimed as he tried to reverse and break free yet he was unable to do so. "Uh, Starfleet! Enterprise! Xander! Dad… DK?! I'm being pulled…" With no sensor data, but understanding what was happening thanks to his knowledge of Star Trek, yet at the moment unable to do anything to escape Crichton continued. "… toward an unknown ship by some kind of tractor beam… engines not responding. I cannot break away!" He said as he sat helplessly inside the craft. "Look can anyone hear me?! Starfleet?!"And then Crichton and the module were pulled inside the huge ship.

Inside the ship the interior was the same golden – bronzed colour as the ships' exterior hull; he watched helplessly as the module was towed by some unseen force down a long ribbed tunnel. Moments later, Crichton saw a device on a long spine – like track on the roof of the tunnel. 'That must be the tractor beam emitter.' He thought as he watched the device turn ahead of the module, directing the module deeper inside. "Oh my God…" He muttered as he was faced with the reality that he was going to meet real, honest to god aliens.

Demons were one thing, but aliens! And he just realised how funny that sounded.

As the Farscape was lowered to the smooth deck of the great ship with a gentle bump, John finally realised that he had landed and stopped his awe – inspired gaping at his surroundings to operate the hatch release controls and wing folding hydraulics as the module rolled to a stop. As the wings folded inward, the hatch refused to open, John sighed and rubbed his eyes, the Scourge really hammered him. "Just great, probably lucky to be still alive." He groaned.

"Manual release… manual release." He said as he powered down and ready to operate the control that manually opened the module's hatch, John glanced up out of the windshield and gawked momentarily when he saw little glowing tiny light – like eyes on the end of stalks looking right at him.

John stared back, unsure of what he was looking at for a moment as the owner of the eyestalks crept slowly into full view on the windshield pane. It was round, John saw, almost like an oblong shape; it's underside appeared to have rows of pulsating little lights. John moved a little closer to get a better look at it but suddenly, sparks flew from the cockpit controls and a small fire started as an alarm sounded. Quickly checking the systems he noticed that the fire suppression systems had been damaged. "Oh crap!" As he hurriedly reached down and to the back of his seat Crichton pulled out a fire extinguisher, but as smoke quickly filled the cockpit he had no other choice but to pop the hatch and scrambled out of the cockpit.

As th hatch opened the little eyestalk thing that had been crawling on his windshield went flying as John climbed out of the module; he hopped off with the extinguisher in his hand and landed on the deck of the docking bay. John spun and continued with his fire – fighting efforts as he hurried to put out the fire and save his ship. When the fire had eventually been put out, Crichton quickly realised that he was breathing, he sighed with relief as he realised that he was breathing oxygen. Without the module's sensors to inform him, he didn't know that the interior of the ship had an breathable atmosphere.

"Stupid John…" He muttered as he quickly remembered to grab the away team kit from behind his seat in the cockpit. Grabbing the equipment case, Crichton rested it on the hull of the module and opened the case up and grabbed the tricorder. As he flipped the scanning device open, he immediately began to scan his surroundings without straying from the side of the module.

As he continued looking at and scanning the interior, the tricorder beeped. John looked at the display on the hand held device and frowned when the device indicated a massive bio sign coming from all around him, he spun around taking the tricorder with him, hoping to see some form of life that would have accounted for the huge reading but there was nothing or no one nearby, yet the tricorder still registered the reading. He was going to investigate it further until he heard a load of strange noises; Crichton looked around him as he was suddenly surrounded by more of those small little yellow oblong shaped creatures squawking at him furiously.

"Oh boy." John muttered as some the little creatures approached him. John peered closer at them and realised that they looked like some kind of robot or drone; slowly he approached them cautiously, trying to get a closer look at them when a noise from off to the side grabbed his attention. There were some overturned canisters located near a wall, Crichton watched as the drone that had been crawling on the module's windshield emerged from under the canisters.

John saw that one of its eyes was dark and the eyestalk was limp as the small drone seemed to cast an accusing glare at him and squawk before it scurried off. Crichton shook his head. 'OK that's it! I need my phaser.' He thought before he closed the tricorder and moved to turn back towards the module. Except on top of his module was another of the yellow drones, Crichton froze. He saw that the drone had some kind of nozzle extended from a port in its tiny body aimed right at him, and then the drone sprayed him with some kind of liquid and it hit him in the eyes. "Gah!" Surprised, the Commander stumbled backwards as he rubbed at his eyes and moved away from the drones but further into the corridors of the unknown vessel.

As he stumbled through the arched corridors of the bronzed ship, John was being herded along by a few of the drones. He was dazed and in shock, still rubbing at his eyes trying to clean the crap that drone sprayed him with but also because he was kind'a hoping that all of this was a dream – that he was back on Starbase One in his quarters asleep and the test was later today – but no, this was real and it was happening!

He felt one of the drones nudging him into a room, it was long and had a low ceiling. Bronzed ribs arched over the room and the front end is dominated by a great oval viewport. Looking out John saw those two black small spacecraft from before streaking by, attacking the larger ship like a swarm of angry bees.

Under fire, the ship shuddered as it took their attack; John braced himself as he forced himself to stand as he continued gazing into the room and that was when he noticed two control consoles in front of the viewport – and two _unknown_ looking aliens standing at each one.

"Oh my God…" One of the aliens was slender, bald, female, oh and _blue_ , John noticed. Bright blue in fact and clad in blue flowing robes. The other alien was the opposite, big and burly – looking he was dressed in a red belted tunic and wore heavy looking boots. He was clearly a warrior, John noted, but what amazed him more was the fact that he had long tentacles flowing from his head down his back and intermingled with strands of long red hair.

He kind of reminded John of the Twi'leks from Star Wars. But whereas they had longer and thicker head tentacles, these guys' weren't and Twi'lek bodies weren't as big or muscular as this guys' was either.

John could only stare; he rubbed his eyes again and picked out the bizarre sounding noises that no human being are able to make, but he had heard similar noises from numerous demons back on Earth, especially the two demons that had attacked him that time. They were harsh sounding and harried as John watched them calling to each other, he only hoped that his universal translator could decipher their language before –

The little yellow drone at his suddenly squawked insistently and slowly the two aliens turned to look at him.

Too late.

The blue woman was stunningly beautiful, John noted. Her skin was dappled by silvery markings but the utterly hostile look she fixed him with unsettled him slightly.

The other alien's look was one of open hostility. He stared at John with small, angry almost beady looking eyes. Crichton noticed that the big guy's nose was armoured by a beak – like structure and his cheeks were covered by a red beard. His chin sported short, thick, black tattooed tentacles. John also noted a small black tattoo on the big guy's head and a larger on his chest, clearly visible through the tunic he wore.

No one said a word for a moment even as the ship shuddered under the weapons fire from the smaller attacking craft outside, being the most nervous of the group, John decided to break the sudden tension. Waving his hand a little, he smiled. The blue woman raised her chin at him a little. "Um… Hi. My name's John. Command –" He was cut off by the big guy who had strode over to him in big steps and clamped a huge fist onto his throat and hoisted him off of his feet.

The big guy then snarled at him, saying something in that strange alien language that he still couldn't understand. What was taking the universal translator so long to do its goddamned job?! Crichton idly wondered while he was hanging by the big guy's fist. "I – I can't understand what –"

Suddenly the yellow drone at his feet whooped, seeming to understand what the problem was, it unfolded a hypodermic extension filled with a red liquid of some kind from its arsenal of attachments and proceeded to inject the liquid into John's dangling foot.

"OW!" John exclaimed in a strangled voice. "What the hell?!" He stopped as the sounds of the aliens then began to resolve into words he understood.

The blue woman spoke: "I suggest you answer him quickly. You know how Luxans can be."

No he didn't, John thought idly as the big guy, who was apparently a Luxan pulled him close and got right in his face. "Your ship, what kind is it?"

"Your ship appeared from nowhere. We do not know that technology." The woman started. "Is it something we can use to escape?"

The Luxan spoke in a deadly tone of voice: "We brought you here for a reason. Tell us or _die with us._ " Crichton was speechless at the ultimatum the Luxan gave him – partly because he was confounded by the sudden absurdness he currently found himself in but also because the Luxan's hand on his windpipe was really making it difficult to get a word out. The ship continued to shudder under the assault from outside shaking everyone.

When John didn't answer, the big guy heaved him against the back wall of the Command room, disgusted with his lack of co – operation then he hurried back over toward his console before he smacked his fist on the console and bellowed: "PILOT! I DEMAND YOU GIVE ME MANEUVERABILITY NOW!" There was no answer. "PILOT!"

John lost his footing and fell to the floor before he heard a voice that answered the call for 'Pilot'. He looked around the Command for the source of the voice until he couldn't see anyone other than the blue woman and the Luxan, but his gaze did fall upon a strange looking clamshell – like device that was connected to the farthest wall of the Command. A purple – tinged projection appeared.

'Whoa… what the –?' The human thought as he stared at the holographic image of an alien even stranger than the two he found himself in the company of. With a nose – less face over a lipless mouth and prominent looking eyes, it's skin was creased and great – looking spines stood out from either side of the aliens' head marching down its face to its jaw line. Crichton could also make out on top of its head was a shell – like structure that cured gently downward on either side of its head.

"There's nothing I can do!" The alien spoke in an androgynously alto – like male voice. "Not while the control collar is still in place!" The ship shuddered under another assault. "Moya can't withstand this assault for much longer!" Pilot called out.

'Control collar? What?' Crichton thought as he heard Pilot. Then he realised. 'They must be talking about that black structure on top of the ship.

The Luxan slammed his fists against the console again, growling he ripped the control cover off and suddenly began yanking at the various tubes and lines that connected the controls; there were sparks and fluid oozing out of the torn out connections as John heard the ship suddenly groaning. On the monitor, Crichton saw and heard Pilot snap at the Luxan irritably: "Those synapses you are tearing out are not _wired_ to the control collar!"

'Synapses!' John thought. 'But only living beings had –!' And then it dawned on him; the massive bio sign the tricorder picked up _was_ the ship. This ship was a lifeform!

The Luxan growled again. "Then I shall keep pulling them until I find the ones that _are_!" Then he moved over to another console, kicking John out of the way. "Get up!" He snapped at the human before he ripped the control cover off of that console as well.

John went sprawling out of the way from the big guy and then obediently stood – but only to be sent sprawling again as another of Moya's crew abruptly entered the Command. "Get out of the way!" It said in a gravelly voice. From the floor, John spun to look at the newest member he had the… pleasure of meeting only to stare at the latest alien he'd seen. Riding in an hover chair and also like Pilot, he looked utterly inhuman in his appearance. He was tiny, probably the size of a toddler with four short limbs and grey – green skin and wearing a reddish purple robe.

He was shaped like a pudgy teardrop whose top point was split into two droopy, white - haired brows over his eyes; his mouth was wide and filled with tiny blunt teeth and had two slits between his eyes as well as a floppy white moustache on either side of his upper lip.

"The others…" The woman asked the newcomer anxiously. "Where are they?"

"There are no others." He replied. "I've checked every cell level, they were all empty. I found a manifest, we were all scheduled for transport to Terran Raa."

"By the Goddess!" The woman spoke softly.

"That's a _Lifer's_ colony." The Luxan responded as he listened in.

The news struck John quick, as did the implication. "Prisoners?" He spoke out loud finally as he looked at all three of them. "You're all escaped prisoners?" They were all silent. And him without his phaser to protect himself; he grimaced.

"I will not be taken prisoner again." The Luxan said with quiet determination. The small alien turned to leave, but when he saw Crichton still on the floor he paused, seeing an opportunity.

He approached John slowly. "They brought you on board didn't they?" The alien said, trying to be reassuring. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. I'll look after you now, you look after _me_ later." Too bad that he didn't believe him; John thought, gaping as the alien sailed off in his hover chair.

Moya rocked under assault as the smaller fighters outside pelted her hull with weapons fire again; inside the Command sparks flew from the control consoles. "Attention! Hull integrity is reaching critical compromise!" Pilot called out from the projection.

" _Shaneea maya kosha visha…"_ John watched as the woman suddenly started to pray… at least he hoped it was a prayer. As the Luxan went back to tearing at Moya's controls, defiantly trying to get rid of the control collar, there was suddenly a bright blue flash and the sound of something powering down. The blue stopped praying suddenly, looking down at her console. "What have you done?" She asked of the Luxan.

"What do you mean?"

As she looked over the sudden data that was coming in on her console, she looked like her prayers had been answered as her voice was nearly a tremble with quiet joy. "The coding wall, it's dimming!" She said. "I've hit the code… I've hit the code!" She repeated. The Luxan hurried over to her console to have a look at the data.

"The control collar. It's coming off!" The sudden voice of Pilot called out from the projection with an almost disbelieving tone. Crichton looked up as from outside, he and everyone else on board heard the explosive bolts that fastened the control collar direct onto Moya's golden - bronzed hull releasing from the black structure and after a few moments, they saw the bolts drift away into space through the Command's observation window.

"Pilot, prepare for immediate starburst!" The Luxan ordered.

"… Moya has been restrained for so long… she might –" Pilot reluctantly started.

"She is a Leviathan! It is the single defensive manoeuvre she is capable of!" The Luxan abrasively interrupted.

On the clamshell, Pilot grimaced as he reluctantly entered the command sequence to initiate starburst. John could see that he was hesitant to do this, concerned for Moya's safety although he really didn't understand anything about the situation as of yet except from the obvious. Suddenly he felt the ship starting to move off away from the fighters and out of the asteroid field.

"Claw onto something people! Prepare for starburst!" The projection of Pilot called out; Crichton didn't see it but as he saw the others scramble and hold onto the command consoles he suddenly heard and _felt_ the distinctive build – up of electricity in the air. Looking around at where the feeling was coming from John decided to follow their example and tried to find something to hold onto nearby.

He briefly noted that the smaller alien in the hover chair speaking: "I hate starburst." He said, staring out of the viewport as the power build – up increased in intensity.

* * *

 _ **Space**_

As the two space fighters observed the control collar drifting off of the hull of the Leviathan, they were coming round for another pass, ready to deal the final blow to finish the ship off only for them to break off when they got new orders: " _All Prowlers, terminate assault on escaping vessel. All Prowlers terminate assault!_ "

Following the order both fighters began to veer away from the Leviathan as the great ship sailed away finally under its own power now that it was finally free of the control collar, but as Moya left the asteroid field, both pilots watched as blue energy flared to life at the aft of the Leviathan where three sweeping structure – like tails met before the energy then spread out over the Leviathan's hull obscuring her golden – bronzed colour, sheathing her in a ghostly looking glow.

Inside, John watched transfixed as the blue energy formed a halo of blue energy in front of Moya when the energy build – up reached the ships' bow. 'Oh my God!' He thought as he watched as Moya headed into it before he felt the pull of extreme acceleration as it gripped the ship. And then Moya was gone as it disappeared with a flash of blue light.

One of the Prowlers was unable to get away in time and was caught in Moya's wake as it went into starburst. Another order came went out over the Prowler's comms. " _All Prowlers report to squad leaders or return to carrier!"_

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere**_

Moving in the black void amid the asteroid field as Moya entered starburst was a ship even bigger than the Leviathan they were currently pursuing. With a long black central structure with two outer rings connected to it on both sides of the structure and two smaller outer rings fitted on the top of the hull, the hulking ship quickly gave chase after the Leviathan.

Inside the ship which was dominated by a black, white and red palette, it was dominated by Spartan surfaces and sharp geometric lines and it was clean, its crew were a people that equally commanded and demanded order from all the other races that they had encountered. Similar in appearance to the humans of Earth, they wore all black uniforms as they went about their duties. On the Bridge of the huge vessel were several officers at their posts as another officer stepped onto the Bridge from an entry point at the rear of the Command.

One of the officers, Lieutenant Teeg; a woman with blonde hair tied in a tight pull – back, turned at the sound of the door opening, she stepped forward. "Captain." She called out ready to give her report. "Captain Crais!"

Crais glanced at her as he moved about the command consoles, checking the various readings from the consoles and keeping an eye on his crew. He was a burly dark haired man with his hair tied back in a braid and a neatly trimmed moustache and beard framed his mouth.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" He asked as he finally stood in front of the forward command consoles, Teeg stood behind him, looking reluctant to continue with her report.

"Sir, the Prowler squad has returned. They report that the Leviathan transport has escaped. One of the prisoners, the Hynerian Royal had somehow secured the key codes to the prisoners' cells and…" Teeg hesitated, Crais turned to look at her, a silent order to continue with her report. "… there were casualties, sir. Two Prowlers lost and –"

"I don't care about casualties, Lieutenant." Crais said cutting her off. "A Leviathan transporting prisoners does not escape from my custody. Has my brother returned yet? I'll despatch him and the rear battle carrier after the Levi –"

Teeg went over towards the console to her left as she worked the controls. "Sir, this is playback from the recon satellite monitoring the pursuit of the Leviathan." Teeg moved aside as Crais joined her, Teeg hit a command on the console and both officers watched as the playback showed an image of Farscape One as it floated among the asteroids.

"What manner of craft is this?!" Crais asked warily.

"Unknown, sir." Teeg answered back. "However scans of the craft have detected what looks to be gun ports at the front of the craft and rear and a small defence screen emitter, sir."

"It fired on the Prowlers?" Crais asked as Teeg moved the image playback along. One of the small then entered the image and Crais visibly relaxed. "My brother's Prowler." He said confidently. "I'm sure that he will –" Crais stopped stunned, watching as the playback showed his brother's Prowler clipping the Farscape One's starboard wing and spinning off into the face of an asteroid, its pilot suffering a fiery death.

As Crais watched in silence as his brother's fighter burned against the surface of the asteroid, Teeg watched him for a brief second before she continued. "We lost a second ship, sir. It was pulled along into the Leviathan's wake as it went into starburst."

But Crais wasn't listening as he gripped both sides of the console. "I want to see him."

"See him, sir?" Teeg asked confused.

"Peel back and enhance the image, Lieutenant." Crais said indicating the image of Crichton's module. "I want to see who's inside."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

 _ **Moya**_

As John and the crew of Moya held onto the command consoles in Moya's Command area, they felt the ship beginning to slow down as the ride became a little easier; Crichton had been fixated on the outside as he saw the blue field of energy that surrounded the Leviathan as she travelled through starburst. Soon Moya had dropped back into normal space as the familiar void made itself known to John's eyes.

"We've done it! We've escaped!" Pilot exclaimed from the projection, but as he checked his readings from wherever he was on the ship, he continued. "Attention, one Prowler travelled with us through starburst!"

"Jam its communications! Use the Docking Web to bring it aboard." The Luxan ordered.

"As good as done!" Pilot responded. He said following the Luxan's command.

As Crichton watched the others in their jubilation at being free from their pursuers, Pilot reported. "The Prowler is aboard. The DRD's have stunned the Peacekeeper pilot."

"I'll take her to a cell on tier four." The Luxan said to the woman. She nodded at him in response.

"Thank you, Pilot. Tell us, does Moya know where we are?" The blue woman had spoken.

"Yes, of course…" Pilot answered confidently. "… we're someplace else!" He said before he sobered and continued. "I'll… get back to with a precise location shortly." He said hurriedly before he deactivated the projection from his end. Crichton watched everything with a look between being completely dismayed and being at sea.

The blue woman then eyed him. "At least we are free." She said to the others. As silence descended as the others let the fact that they were free momentarily sunk in, the smaller alien approached, made a loud nose – clearing sound and spat on him. Disgusted with the act and too stunned to be silent any longer, John wiped the gunk off of his face and stood.

He strode over to the centre of the Command. "What the hell is the matter with you people?!" He demanded looking at them all. In response to shut him up, the Luxan opened his mouth and _lashed_ at him out with a whip of his tongue. The strike hit John in the neck, stupefied as to what the hell had just happened, Crichton turned around looking at the Luxan before he dropped to the deck unconscious.

The woman sighed. "I'll deal with him while you deal with the Sebacean."

"Agreed." The Luxan responded before he moved and left the Command.

"Well, now that we're out of danger, I'm going to go retrieve our possessions." The smaller alien responded before he too left the woman alone.

The woman watched him go before she spoke. "Now then, let's see about you…" She said moving over to _pick_ Crichton up, flinging him over her shoulder just before Pilot reappeared on the clamshell.

"I'm sorry for interrupting…" The woman stopped and looked at the projection.

"Yes Pilot, have you and Moya been able to discern our location?" She asked.

"Unfortunately not, as of yet." The Pilot responded.

"Then what –" The woman asked.

Pilot interrupted her. "The DRD's have just completed a cursory scan of the stranger's craft. It is not of Peacekeeper design."

"What?" The woman asked.

"I said that it is not of Peacekeeper design. In fact Moya and I have no record of this technology in our databanks." The Pilot responded. "The cursory scan revealed that the craft's hull is comprised of materials we have no basis for. Metallurgical analysis of the craft's hull plating revealed refining processes we have not encountered before. There appears to be some kind of weapons and defence systems that we have been unable to identify and there also appears to be multiple types of propulsion systems built in but they're damaged. The craft appears to have taken weapons fire."

"Intriguing…" The woman said with genuine surprise before continuing. "… A mystery. Anything else?"

"Scans of the equipment the stranger used as he came on board indicated that he is from a highly technologically advanced civilisation. Possibly even more advanced than the Peacekeepers." Pilot replied as he mentioned John's tricorder. "This…" Pilot said as he brought up an image of the tricorder on the sensor plate on the command console the woman was using earlier. "… appears to be a scanner of some kind."

"A more in – depth report can wait till after, Pilot." The woman said as she turned away from the projection. "If what you say is true, then it would appear that this one isn't a Sebacean. I'll have to perform an in – depth scan of his biology to determine if he has any dangerous contaminants or bacteria in his system."

"Of course. I'll have the diagnostics area on tier two prepared at once." Pilot responded.

"Thank you, Pilot. I'll be there in a moment." She said as she left the Command with Crichton and headed toward the diagnostics area.

* * *

 _ **Later**_

After she had finished her examination of the human, Zhaan made her way back to the Command and was looking over the damage report concerning Moya; as she read over a section of the report she was joined by the Luxan who went over to the other console. "I locked the other one in the same cell with the Peacekeeper." D'Argo said. "With any luck maybe they'll kill each other."

"I did a genetic scan of him." Zhaan said to the Luxan. "According to the results, he's not a Sebacean."

"I don't care to know what he is." The Luxan responded back. "He doesn't appear to be useful. We should just kill him now."

"Perhaps, but his ship isn't anything Pilot or Moya have ever seen before. It is not of Peacekeeper design." Zhaan replied back. "Both he and it could prove useful."

"I doubt it." The Luxan returned then reconsidered. "If his ship proves useful, then we'll keep it. Him, we'll kill if he proves to be of no use." After a few moments the Luxan was becoming agitated. "This damned Leviathan has no idea where we are!"

Sensing the Luxan's frustration, Zhaan left her console and moved over to his side. "I am Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan." She greeted him as she finally introduced herself to the Luxan. "And you?"

After a moment, he responded. "I am Ka D'Argo." He said, returning her greeting. "You are a Delvian."

"A priest." She returned, but D'Argo seemed to be wary of her.

"I have learned of your kind's practices. Your… appetites." He said with curiosity.

Zhaan smiled. "Such as…?"

D'Argo seemed hesitant. "I've… heard of something known as the, uh… the fourth sensation."

Her voice took on a sensual tone as she remembered the feelings of the fourth sensation. "I have experienced this, though not lately." She said as she placed her hand atop of his.

D'Argo suddenly became awkward next to her. "Um… uh, why… uh, were you, uh…?" She smirked at his discomfort but did not seem to be causing him intentional embarrassment as he continued by changing the subject. "Why were you –?"

"Imprisoned?" She asked sensing the question. The Luxan nodded. "Because on my homeworld, even among my kind, I was something of an anarchist. Actually I was the _leading_ anarchist. And yourself? Why were you a prisoner of the Peacekeepers?"

"I killed a fellow soldier. My commanding officer." He said quickly.

"How old are you?" She asked, surprised that he would be imprisoned for such an offence, he looked young.

"Thirty cycles." He replied.

"Ah, you are but a _boy_!" Zhaan replied playfully.

"I am not." D'Argo replied proudly. "I am a Luxan warrior. I have seen two battle campaigns."

"Only two?" She asked teasingly.

D'Argo changed the subject a second time. "You know Peacekeeper coding, how?" He asked.

Allowing the change in subject, Zhaan got back to business with him as she went back to look over the damage report. "I spent three cycles on a Peacekeeper maximum labour planet." She said answering his question.

"Which one?"

"Mikar seven. I was assigned to Peacekeeper Intel and Interface." The Delvian answered.

"I was on Mikar seven." He answered back.

"You were?"

D'Argo nodded. "On level ninety – three. In the chemical mines." He answered. Zhaan looked at him impressed.

"Why aren't you dead?" She asked looking at him startled.

"I've often asked myself that same question." D'Argo replied. "Or I assumed the other prisoners died while the Peacekeepers looked on. Somehow the experience made me stronger. I suppose the warrior in me became too strong _not_ to survive." He responded.

"Perhaps you survived the experience for this." Zhaan posited.

"What, this escape?" He started with a small scoff. "I doubt it will last long enough for the Peacekeepers to even note it in their situation reports."

Zhaan shook her head. "Not this escape itself, but what we pray will be the result. Freedom."

D'Argo seemed amused by her response. "That is a very Delvian way to look at the situation."

"I am nothing if not a product of my upbringing." Zhaan replied, finally finished with the damage report.

"As I am mine." The Luxan responded.

"Then perhaps together, a warrior and a priest can help save each other." The Delvian said smiling as the Luxan looked at her appreciatively.

Just then, Moya's Pilot appeared on the clamshell. "I apologise for interrupting, Zhaan…" Both the Luxan and the Delvian turned away from each other and looked at the projection. "… but I thought that you'd like to know, our guest is coming around."

"Thank you, Pilot." Zhaan returned.

D'Argo looked around the Command for the Hynerian. "Where's Rygel?"

"He said that he was going to go look for our possessions earlier." Zhaan replied. "I assume he's still looking."

* * *

 _ **Holding Cells**_

Crichton groaned as consciousness slowly returned to him and remembered his current predicament. "Let it be a dream… please God, let it be a dream. A very bad and twisted dream…" He muttered, but the squeaking of Moya's DRD's nearby dashed his hopes that he was back on Starbase One in his quarters and still in bed. "Damn it!" But alas, it was meant to be.

Opening his eyes, John looked and faced the infernal little machines through an open grate of burnished, curved flattened strips of bronzed metal. 'A cell. Great.' Beyond it the human saw two of the small yellow machines watching him until they scuttled away at the approach of the little alien guy in the hover chair. He watched as the alien began poking at a little keypad on the wall outside of the cell.

Woozily, as he shook his head and slowly got up, he tried to get the little guy's attention. "Uh, hey… what um…? Where –?" He trailed off as he looked down and saw that he was naked; for a moment there John's gaze idly wandered over to the scars above his right hip, the claw marks from one of the demons that had attacked him in his home on Earth a while back. Lightly with his fingers, he traced the scars before he stopped. "Uh, where are my clothes?" Ignored, John looked around him until he spotted his Starfleet uniform in a corner of the room. "Hey! Why the hell did you take my clothes off?!"

"I am Rygel the sixteenth, Dominar to over six hundred billion people." He said as he continued fiddling about with the keypad on the wall. "I don't need to talk to you!"

As he slipped his black pants on over his hastily placed underwear and then his blue shirt before finally he put his socks and shoes on. Grabbing his black tunic John turned back towards the Hynerian. "I thought you were a prisoner."

"Falsely imprisoned!" Rygel responded heatedly. "My cousin Bishan stole my throne from me while I slept. A mistake I will soon be correcting! Your garments were removed so that we could examine you."

"Exam –? Examine me?!" John asked startled. "How?! Where? Wait a minute; one of those yellow things injected me…" He said pointing at his foot. "… right here!"

"Translator microbes." Rygel replied back.

"Microbes?" John repeated with a worried look. "What?"

Rygel sighed as he kept working at the keypad. "Translator microbes. They colonise at the base of the brain, they allow us to understand each other." He said as if he was talking to a small child. "But why you weren't injected at birth, I cannot fathom!"

Reeling from the information as he took it all in, Crichton approached the cell doors. "But – but there was no need to!" He said indicating to his Starfleet combadge on his tunic to Rygel. "See this! This is a – a communication device. It contains a universal translator; there was no need to inject any type of microbes _into me_!"

"We didn't know that!" Rygel responded. "We are unfamiliar with your technology."

"You could've just asked! I would've been able to understand your languages eventually!" John replied back indignantly, offended that he had been treated this way. Sighing as he put his tunic and fastened it, John calmed himself down enough before continuing. "Look, why have you got me locked in here? I – I'm not here to harm you… hell I wouldn't even know _how_ to harm you."

Rygel stopped working at the keypad and faced John. "We can no more trust you than we can trust _that!_ " He said, pointing towards the back of the cell.

Crichton followed the direction; at the back of the cell sitting on a bench against the wall was a black clad figure wearing what he figured to be a flight suit of some kind. Its helmet had an insect – like appearance that was connected to a pressurised covering worn on the stranger's upper torso. Suddenly the figure jerked upright, like it had awakened; John watched as the stranger lurched about and slowly begun to undo the seals on its flight suit.

John looked back towards Rygel for help, which the Hynerian declined to give as the human turned back to watch the alien as it pulled off its helmet and revealed itself to be an attractive humanoid woman with wavy brunette hair with a lean, hard appearance.

A look of relief appeared on John's face as he looked at her. Finally, someone he could relate to! With a limp smile he extended his hand in greeting and slowly approached the woman. "Hi. My name's John –" That was as far as he got. Without warning and without looking at him, the woman reached out and grabbed his arm and flipped him across the room; Crichton went sliding across the floor before his slide stopped halfway.

John flipped over and looked at the girl as she stalked over towards him; she had a hard angry look on her features as she neared, but then something inside John had snapped. Attacked by demons in his home! Attacked by the Scourge, thrown into an unknown anomaly and out into whatever ass – end of the universe he just happened to be in now and brought aboard an unknown ship! Injected with whatever God knows what and knocked out by whatever the hell that thing was! Examined without his consent, stripped naked and locked in a cell and now attacked by someone in much as the same predicament as him!

Well, no more!

Remembering the self – defence lessons that Buffy and Xander had taught him after he had been attacked, John struck back.

Aeryn neared the stranger. He wasn't a Peacekeeper she recognised and his uniform wasn't that of the Peacekeeper standard, but he _looked_ Sebacean. The moment that she had neared him, he suddenly took her by surprise sweeping her legs out from under her. She was going to demand he identify himself to her.

Surprised by the sudden move Aeryn fell and landed on her side before she felt the weight of the unknown Sebacean on top of her pinning her arms at the sides of her head. She looked into his eyes and saw the same type of anger that burned within her, the anger of being taken prisoner by _inferior_ beings… but there was something more. Something that she had seen before in a Luxan.

Rage.

But she wouldn't let that stop her. Aeryn braced herself and then head butted the stranger and threw him over her head; she then rolled over and scrambled to her feet when he landed on his back. She rushed over to his position and looked like he was going to get up again but she kicked his arm out from under him and then watched as he fell back against the floor.

She took the opportunity to put a stop to this as she saw the Hynerian prisoner watching. Dropping to her knees and straddling his chest, she placed her hand on his neck and held him down. "What is your rank and regiment? And why are you out of uniform?" No answer. "Rank and regiment, soldier. Now!"

Crichton looked up at her, his eyes spitting fire at her until her voice broke through the enraged haze that had encompassed him momentarily. When he didn't immediately answer her, Aeryn looked disgusted at the lack of professionalism. She rose up and marched over toward to the cell door and tried to pry it open whilst snarling at the Hynerian. "Let me out of here you Hynerian slug!"

"Your efforts are wasted here Peacekeeper. You of all people should know that!" Rygel sneered at her.

Crichton shakily stood. "Peacekeeper?" He said in a questioning tone. "You're one of those out there attacking the ship. And they thought that I was of you?!" He said incredulous.

The woman turned back to look at him. "Officer Aeryn Sun. Special Peacekeeper Commando, Icarion Company, Pleisar Regiment." She stated getting nearer and nearer to him. "Identify yourself."

"My name is… John Crichton. My rank is _Commander_ , I'm an officer in Starfleet." He said to her.

"Starfleet? Never heard of it." Aeryn Sun replied. "Military officer?"

"No reason you should. And no, at least I don't think of myself as one. I'm a damn scientist." He stated as Aeryn stared coldly at him.

Rygel listened as the two prisoners interacted before his interest in what was being said no longer held any interest for him. Making another swat at the keypad on the wall, the Hynerian was rewarded with a small overhead compartment swinging open. Rygel waited for it to settle before he was overjoyed, it was their possessions. Pleased with his efforts the former Hynerian Royal lifted a jewelled ring from the collection of possessions and eyed it.

Turning it in his hands, Rygel admired the piece; looking at it as if he had been reunited with a long lost lover. "It's been so long…"

John and Aeryn heard footsteps coming from down the corridor; John looked in the direction they were coming from, eventually seeing the woman and the Luxan as they approached. When D'Argo saw their possessions he headed towards the trove as Zhaan headed towards John.

"Our possessions! My Qualta blade!" D'Argo exclaimed as he saw his sword amongst the possessions.

Wrapped in a purple cloth, it looked to be a heavy short sword, with a long hilt the Luxan reached out to grab it with both hands. "Hands off, Luxan!" Rygel said as he coveted the rest of the possessions for the moment, but D'Argo snarled at the Hynerian and grabbed his sword.

"You're awake, both of you. Good." Zhaan said as she suddenly noticed Aeryn's surly attitude. "A problem my dear?" She asked with pleasure, knowing that the Peacekeeper didn't like being locked up. "You should be used to viewing the likes of us through prison bars."

"You need to listen to me, I'm not what you think I am!" Crichton said as he looked at the Delvian through the cell door. "I'm not a –"

"Not a Peacekeeper? Yes we know that now. You have some decidedly unfamiliar bacteria living within you. And your technology is unfamiliar to us as well."

"I'm from a planet called Earth." John said much calmer. "I'm a human, I work for an organisation called Starfleet. I mean you no –"

Zhaan held her hand up to stop him. "We can discuss all of this later. It's time to eat." She finished before she pressed a button on the keypad and opened the cell door.

As he looked at the imposing looking Luxan with a sword on his back, John just had to wonder: "Eat what?" He muttered aloud whilst he suddenly missed knowing that the Slayer was back on Earth. The Luxan just looked right back at him with his head cocked to his side before Zhaan motioned for them to leave the cell.

* * *

 _ **Peacekeeper Command Carrier**_

As he waited for the Techs to finish enhancing the image of the unknown craft's pilot, Crais waited pensively at his post overlooking the status of the convoy, but he wasn't truly paying attention to that as his mind was on his brother's killer. "Whoever killed my brother will pay dearly."

"Captain, the Techs have completed the enhancement of the craft's pilot." Teeg said, approaching the man.

Finally he moved, eager to see the one who had murdered Tauvo. "Show me." He ordered as they immediately moved over to the imager.

"On the final sweep now, Captain." The Lieutenant said as she and Crais waited for the image of the craft's pilot to resolve. The image showed a man. "He's Sebacean!" Teeg exclaimed as the pilot did resemble her species.

Crais was incensed; he finally saw the face of the man who had killed his brother and he was a Sebacean no less and on board the escaped Leviathan transport. "Inform the rear battle carrier, Lieutenant. They will take charge of the convoy." He ordered. " _We_ are going after the Leviathan. Have a detachment of Marauders prepped and ready to launch immediately!"

"But sir, regulations –" Teeg began.

"That is a direct order, Lieutenant. And you will follow it, or I'll find someone else who will." He finished before going back to his previous station.

* * *

 _ **Moya**_

As John and Aeryn were escorted through the corridor by Zhaan and D'Argo, the human looked about him in awe as the surreal events of earlier had now been left behind. He looked amazed at everything all around him, as he observed the strangely beautiful ship, Zhaan lead him by his arm towards the Leviathan's Command.

"Look you know that I'm not a Peacekeeper…" He started as he lifted his bound hands up to Zhaan. "… how about you take this stuff off my wrists?"

"I'm sorry, but we still do not know your loyalties." Zhaan said calmly.

" _My loyalties_? I just got here!" John replied looking at her. "You're the first extra – terrestrial contact anybody from my world has ever made." The human said to an amused Delvian. "We were kind'a hoping to encounter alien life soon, but my people are currently at war."

Zhaan and the others stopped at the news; the Delvian remembered that Pilot had discovered the human's craft was damaged. "Who are you at war with? Is it the Peacekeepers?" She asked briefly looking at D'Argo and Rygel; hoping that they had at least a cursory ally against the space fascists.

But John was still amazed by his surroundings, just knowing that he was inside a living ship – "She asked you a question." Said the gruff voice of the Luxan from behind him, surprising him and freaking him out. "Is your species at war with the Peacekeepers?"

"What? No, not the Peacekeepers." He told them as Zhaan lead them off again. "They're called the Scourge." He finished.

"We don't know of them." D'Argo said looking at the Delvian and the Hynerian.

"No reason you should." John told them. "They're from my world." But then he remembered; the Bird of Prey had fallen into the anomaly before he did, after the Enterprise had fired on the vessel. "That reminds me, did another ship appear shortly before I did?" He asked them as they stopped. "It would've looked big and green, kind of like a – a bird? A long necked bird?"

All three of them looked at each other for a moment. "We only detected your ship. There were no other ships like you describe in the vicinity."

"OK, good." John relaxed, relieved that the Scourge hadn't reappeared, but the thought then occurred to him that they could've been cloaked if they arrived here. He shook his head free of that thought, it wouldn't do for him to get paranoid. "By the way…" He started in a change of subject. "… what part of the universe are we in? Are we still in Orion's Arm? Still in the Milky Way…?" He trailed off as he caught the look Zhaan gave him. "… and you have no idea what I'm talking about do you? What about star charts? I need to get some common points of reference, find out where I am –" Looking around again he just couldn't keep his excitement in check. "You know, this ship is amazing!"

Zhaan looked amused again. "Yes, she is. She's a Levi –"

"A Leviathan right? I caught that." John said before continuing. "My tricorder picked up a massive bio sign when you brought me aboard. She's alive isn't she?"

Zhaan looked at him surprised. "Yes, she is. Have your people had experience with Leviathans before?"

"No." John replied. "But something similar. It was called Gomtuu." He referred to the Enterprise D's fictional encounter with the strange alien lifeform that Starfleet called the Tin Man at the Beta Stromgren Star. Since the Halloween incident had brought Starbase One, Utopia Planitia and the Starships into this reality the Starbase had records of Starfleet's mission reports since the beginning of the UESPA's inception after the fictional Earth's Post Atomic Horror and up to the year 2409.

"Really?" Zhaan asked. "Our Pilot and Moya would be interested to hear about that." She said as she and the others finally reached the Command. "Please sit and eat. You both must be hungry." She said gesturing toward the table that was stacked with food. D'Argo lead them over to the table, grabbing Aeryn by her shoulder, the Luxan forced the woman over towards the table whilst he just held Crichton by the arm and lead him over.

"Sit. Eat." He said gruffly to the both of them, pushing the Peacekeeper pilot into her seat whilst he just sat John down. As Rygel floated over to join them and tuck into whatever it was that they ate, John surmised as he looked at the strange looking green cubes that Aeryn and Rygel were stuffing into their mouths.

For a moment, he examined the food and eventually worked up the nerve to try one; tentatively taking a small bite… and then spitting it back out when he discovered that whatever it was tasted like crap, he was soon listening to the Luxan and Moya's Pilot bickering.

"You're blaming me?!" D'Argo responded furiously at Pilot's projection. "If I hadn't pulled those wires your precious Moya would still be wearing that control collar!"

"But when you did rip out Moya's synapses, you caused her to haemorrhage most of her iriscentent fluid!" Pilot finished.

D'Argo looked like he was going to rip into Pilot again before Zhaan intervened. "Leading to what result, Pilot?"

"Leading…" Pilot said, looking disgusted at D'Argo. "… to our current maximum speed, which is barely hetch two. Moya and I don't want to –"

As he watched the three talking, John turned towards Aeryn. "Why are they doing this? Feeding us?"

"They'll need information if they're going to survive. They're hoping we'll provide it." She said looking at him before taking a bite of her food. She noticed that John wasn't eating. "I'd eat if I were you…" She said slipping a fork into the sleeve of her flight uniform. "… it may be the only chance we get."

John looked at her warily. "We?"

Aeryn looked at him before she changed the subject. "Where'd you learn to fight?"

"Self – defence, a couple of friends taught me back home." John replied back at her before he looked remorseful. "Uh, about that, I'm sorry. I'm not usually like that."

Aeryn looked at him, confused. "Well, you should be. It'll be the only way you'll survive out here." She finished taking another bite of her food.

Zhaan approached the table whilst they were talking. "Pilot has just informed us that we're approaching an inhabited system. Moya has detected a commerce planet –"

Hearing that, Rygel was thrilled. "A commerce planet! Excellent! We need many things! Hynerian cream soap, certainly. And some fresh Janeray syrup to get rid of the taste of these food cubes –"

"We need iriscentent fluid." D'Argo growled suddenly in Rygel's face cutting the Hynerian off.

"Luxan slime! How dare you!"

"Silence, your Eminence." D'Argo said smirking. "I've been searching for a reason for not to jettison your dead body with the next refuse dump."

Rygel looked outraged. "YOU'D DUMP ME?!" He roared. "I'm the one who bribed the maintenance drones at the last checkpoint, if you remember! I was the one that procured the cell codes that allowed us all to escape!"

D'Argo looked set to rebuke, but Zhaan quickly intervened: "Gentlemen! Gentlemen please! I suggest that we focus on the situation at hand." The Luxan and the Hynerian glared at each other before they broke away. Zhaan, grateful for the break looked back at Aeryn and John. "Before we approach the planet, we must know if there is a Peacekeeper presence in this system?" Unwilling to answer the Delvian, Aeryn shovelled food cubes in her mouth whilst John watched.

Zhaan then looked at John. "I told you, my species hasn't been this far out yet. I don't know."

Growling at his answer, D'Argo cut in. "We are wasting time we do not have. She is infantry; Peacekeeper Command tells her where to fight and where to die." He said before looking at John. And despite this one's technology, he is some kind of higher brain deficient –"

"Hey!" The human interrupted. D'Argo just snarled at him whilst John glared back at him. "I'm not deficient. I'm a scientist." The Luxan grinned impressed with the human, it seemed he did have a backbone after all.

John frowned for a moment as he heard a strange sound, and then the Luxan's voice suddenly climbed steadily as he heard more rude sounds. Everyone looked around, wondering where the sounds where coming from until John noticed that Rygel was acting strange.

"Rygel?" Zhaan asked in a strangely absurd voice as she too caught upon his strangeness.

"It's a perfectly natural bodily function!" Rygel answered defensively. "And it's odourless!"

"So your loyal subjects tell you!" D'Argo spoke like an infuriated munchkin.

"You fart helium?!" Crichton asked incredulously, his voice high pitched.

"Sometimes, when I'm nervous. Or angry!" Rygel responded.

"Attention! I thought you would want to know, we are entering planetary orbit." Pilot's voice called out from the clamshell.

"Thank you, Pilot." Zhaan replied as she begun to turn away from the projection. D'Argo sensed movement from Aeryn. Lunging towards her, D'Argo knocked John away from the table when he went to help her, but the Luxan grabbed her arm and pulled the fork out from the sleeve of her flight uniform and held it up for the others to see.

Zhaan looked at her. "As expected of you, my dear." Aeryn replied with a nonchalance look as she ate another food cube. The Delvian then turned to look at John. "And I suppose you knew?" She asked him, disappointed.

D'Argo growled at the news; the Luxan stormed over towards John. The human choked as the big alien grabbed him by the neck once again and snarled in his face. "We should kill them both now."

Zhaan looked disappointed but thought that D'Argo was right if they couldn't prove to be trustworthy. "Perhaps you're right." She said just as D'Argo reached his hand back for his Qualta blade, but Zhaan continued. "But later. We need iriscentent fluid for Moya. We'll take care of them later."

D'Argo growled. "Fine. We'll lock them back in the cell." He finished as he lowered John to the floor and dragged him over towards the table then reached for Aeryn. John watched as D'Argo grabbed her by the shoulder with his free arm and then forced them out of the Command.

* * *

 _ **Later**_

As he languished in the cell aboard Moya, Crichton sat against the wall moping about his predicament once more as Aeryn strained against the door. "Boy, was Spielberg ever wrong. Close encounters, my ass." He muttered. "Guess Roddenberry was as well." As Aeryn continued in her attempts to pry the door open, John thought back to his encounter with the Scourge and the anomaly.

He thought back to what the module's sensors had detected about the anomaly before the Scourge had fired upon him; the intense graviton emissions and electromagnetic interference and surprisingly enough the fact that there was a high count of proton emissions being detected from the anomaly. He wasn't that familiar with the phenomenon but all the data his sensors had picked up at the time suggested that the anomaly was…

"Wormhole… I must have come here through a wormhole –" It was the only possible answer given what the sensors had manged to pick up he mused. Crichton looked over towards Aeryn. "I must have come here through a wormhole!" He repeated louder.

Aeryn turned away from the door and looked at him annoyed before she leaned back warily against the door. She watched as the stranger continued to talk to himself. "Yeah, so if I did come here through a wormhole then the only way I'm going to get back to Earth is to find another wormhole. Or to create one!" He surmised before she watched him scoff. "Yeah, right. Probably be better off trying to fix the slipstream drive."

"Look, you want to make one of these wormhole things of yours?" She asked exasperated with the human's talk of apparent nonsense. "How do you expect to do that from inside this cell?" The Peacekeeper turned back towards the door and tried once more before prying the door open. As she tried leveraging her weight against one side, she heard the human whistle at her; turning around she looked at him and saw him pull a fork from the sleeve of his uniform.

Aeryn looked impressed with him for a moment before she walked over and took the fork from him. Turning back to the door, the Peacekeeper held the fork in her hand as she slipped her right arm through the grate and over to the control panel on the wall. She heard the human approaching her from behind. "If I can just reach…" She grunted.

"Let me try." John suggested. Aeryn ignored him. " Come on."

She looked back at him for a moment. "Do you know what you are doing?" She asked, Crichton looked like he was going to answer her but she didn't give him a chance. "Didn't think so, so shut up and let me… work!" She said as she touched the tips of the fork to the control panel and tried to trigger the door release.

"Look you can't reach the panel, your arms' too short. Let me try." Crichton repeated.

Aeryn grunted her response to him as she reached further. She would not be defeated by a frelling door!

John waited as the stubborn woman refused his help, watching as Aeryn strained against the grate stretching to reach the panel on the wall the fork he heard her grunting once more before she pulled her arm back quickly as the grate finally receded away.

With a smug look, Aeryn spun and gestured for John to follow. "Come on, we're getting out of here." She said as she looked down the corridor and spotted a couple of the Leviathan's DRDs. Thankfully they hadn't noticed that she was free.

Crichton followed her; with no other option but to stay and wait for the big guy to kill him, John decided that going with the Peacekeeper was the better option. Minutes later, he had no idea where she was taking him. "Move faster." She called out to him as he trailed behind her.

"What are you doing?" He asked as they made their way down the corridor, hoping that they were heading towards his module.

"These are escaped prisoners, this is a Peacekeeper ship. I'm going to sabotage it so they can't escape." Aeryn responded.

"Sabotage, What? Why?" He asked her. "These people haven't hurt us!" He exclaimed as he reached to stop her. Aeryn rounded on him, John pulled his hand away from her.

Aeryn scoffed. "Do you recall the Luxan saying that they should kill you earlier? I do." She said as she continued down the passageway. "I don't know about you but I prefer to face down Luxans with at least a gun in my hand."

He sighed. "Why sabotage the ship?" He repeated. "We should probably just get out of here. You know, show them a little compassion."

"Compassion? What is compassion?" She asked with an impatient look.

Now John scoffed. "Y – You're joking right?" He asked her. Aeryn shook her head, unfamiliar with the term. "It's a feeling you have when you see someone else's pain and instead of taking advantage of their weaknesses you help them."

Aeryn nodded, familiar with the feeling he was describing; so it was called compassion was it? "Oh, I know this feeling."

"Well, it is a common _human_ feeling."

"Well, I'm not human. I'm Sebacean." Aeryn replied. "And I hate this feeling."

"You know, I'm starting to see that." He replied. "Listen, I can tell that I'm on the wrong team here, I'm going to stay." He said as he slowly back away, turning in the direction they originally came from.

Aeryn shrugged. "Fine, stay then. But you'll die with these lowlifes when the Peacekeepers eventually catch up to them."

That stopped him. "How do I know that I can trust you, or your Peacekeepers?" He asked annoyed.

"You don't." Aeryn replied. "That's just another thing you don't know." She finished before she headed off leaving John even more annoyed than ever.

"Damn it!"

Minutes later, John slowed his pace as he seemed to recognise his surroundings vaguely; The wide open double doors that lead out into a hanger was very familiar and looking forwards for a minute, he was relieved to see his module. "Finally!"

As Aeryn and Crichton jogged inside the Leviathan's hanger bay, the Peacekeeper stopped when she saw John's ship. She looked at the small, seemingly intriguing craft; quickly taking note of the scorch marks at the rear of the craft, she remembered the human saying that his species were at war. "This is your ship?"

"Yeah." Crichton said as he made his way over towards it; looking the ship over to see if everything was still OK with it. "I was testing out a new propulsion technology when the Scourge attacked." He said as he checked the damage at the rear and grimaced as he finally saw the extent of it. He was suddenly really glad his dad wanted that shield emitter fitted onto the module.

Aeryn looked around. "Will it fly?"

"Before I was brought on board, I only had the RCS thrusters operational."

Aeryn looked confused. "R – C – S?"

John quickly clarified. "Reaction Control System." He explained as he checked the RCS assembly. John grimaced again. His ship wasn't going anywhere.

Being a pilot, Aeryn finally seemed to understand the term Crichton used. Her own Prowler and other Peacekeeper ships used a similar system for sublight speeds that supplemented the Hetch drive system. She knew that it wouldn't be fast enough to outrun a Command Carrier though.

"Right. We're taking mine." Aeryn said as she noted his look and immediately figured that the craft wouldn't be of any use to them.

But John had other ideas. "Whoa, hang on a minute there, I can't leave her here –" He trailed off as he finally registered the other craft in the hanger bay. Seeing it up close and personal as it were, John couldn't help but be impressed with the Prowler. It was sleek, simple to look at and designed for only one thing: To fight. Obviously a multi – role fighter, he assumed. John noted the four small forward visible pulse cannons on the wings but he also noticed that it was lightly armoured. It was no match for the module's weapons and shields… when they're working.

"We can't take her with us." Aeryn replied. "My Prowler doesn't have a grapple. Now come on!" She said to him as she headed over toward her Prowler and triggered the external release control on the hatch. Crichton knew that she was right, he reluctantly headed over towards her fighter and as the hatch lifted, Aeryn climbed aboard and prepped the craft for take – off. Soon they were out of Moya and heading toward the planet.

Inside, as he sat behind Aeryn, the scientist and pilot absorbed every little detail about the cockpit as he could. The small control panel in front of Aeryn lit up as it projected the Prowler's current course and heading down toward the planet. As he listened to her speaking into her radio as she requested permission to land on the planet, Crichton sat patiently before slight turbulence as the Prowler headed into the planet's atmosphere rocked him a little.

As the Prowler descended, he heard Aeryn acknowledging a clearance to land on pad three. He figured that they were almost there. "How much longer?"

"Not long." Aeryn replied.

Minutes later as she brought the craft in for a landing and quickly powered down the systems, she triggered the hatch release and climbed out. "We're here." She said to the human as he stood and climbed out himself. The second his feet touched the ground, John looked around and stepped out into the small dark, grimy looking marketplace. Lit by small open fires and with ships and transports thrumming overhead, John stopped and gaped at his surroundings as he saw small alien beings scuttling amongst the dark shadows between the buildings and pipes.

"I'm on another planet." He said to himself, his voice somewhere between being completely awed and terrified as he realised that the furthest he had bee from Earth was Deep Space Nine up till now.

"Don't wander off too far!" Aeryn called out to him, but whether John heard her, he didn't show it and Aeryn was to disinclined to care for the moment as she turned back toward her Prowler and activated the comms. "This is Officer Aeryn Sun, Icarion Company, Pleisar Regiment to any and all Peacekeeper Craft in vicinity of this transmission…"

* * *

 _ **Command Carrier**_

As Crais waited for news about the escaped Leviathan from the detachment of Marauders he had ordered launched earlier. "Sir!"

He turned as Lieutenant Teeg approached. "We are receiving a transmission from one of the outer systems. It's Aeryn Sun, the Prowler pilot we thought lost. She reports that she was taken prisoner aboard the Leviathan but she's escaped." Teeg listened as the transmission continued. "She says that she has the being from the white pod with her, Captain!"

He had him! "Helm, set course for the source of that transmission, I want to be there within the arn!" He turned towards Teeg. "Have another Marauder prepared for launch."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

 _ **Commerce Planet**_

As D'Argo kept an ever diligent eye out watching for any signs of the Peacekeepers, Zhaan and Rygel browsed the market for supplies. The Delvian was looking at a small bottle as she opened it and lightly smelled the scent before she placed the cap back on and placed the bottle back on the stall. A few stalls down, Rygel had found a trader who was willing to sell them the much needed supplies for Moya.

"You're only exposing your own ignorance if you don't concede knowledge of the Hurlian stone!"

"Twenty barrels." The stall's proprietor hissed at the Hynerian Royal after he had appraised a jewel that Rygel was willing to trade.

"Preposterous!" The Hynerian declared. "You are insulting me! There was a time I would've had you disembowelled for that! The Hurlian stone is certainly worth a lot more than a measly twenty barrels. Entire worlds have been mined and processed just for that stone alone!" Angered by the Hynerian's words, the proprietor hissed again like a pit of angry snakes. Rygel smirked in satisfaction as he continued to rile the trader up; sensing that he was nearly sealing the deal. "Thirty – five barrels?"

D'Argo watched the others as his comms. unit chirped. "Yes Pilot?"

" _Ka D'Argo, the prisoners have escaped!_ "

"Frell! Why didn't you stop them from escaping?" The Luxan asked as he moved towards Zhaan.

" _I did not know at the time, the DRDs did not report that they had encountered them during their escape._ "

That damned Peacekeeper Tralk! "Where are they now?"

" _Moya's sensors detected the Prowler heading toward the planet… standby…"_ Pilot's voice cut off suddenly.

"Pilot?" D'Argo called out.

" _Apologies, I'm afraid I have some more bad news. Moya's long range sensors have detected a full Command Carrier heading into the system at Hetch Nine. They'll reach the planet in less than a quarter of an arn. Ka D'Argo, I recommend that you and the others return immediately!_ "

"Understood." The Luxan called out before the comms. deactivated. Reaching Zhaan's position the Luxan reached for her arm. "The human and the Peacekeeper have escaped and there's a Command Carrier on approach to the planet."

Zhaan looked startled. "A full Carrier?!" She said aghast. "Crais! But why? It makes no sense for him to come after us himself." She tried to reason.

"Unless the human and the Peacekeeper are something very special!" D'Argo snarled. "We should've killed them and dumped their corpses out of Moya's hatchway. This barter session is finished." As Zhaan and D'Argo stalked over towards Rygel, they saw the Hynerian was still trading with the proprietor.

"What are you asking for those Wellan glow crystals?" He asked looking at a small bundle of amber coloured jewels.

"Trouble your Eminence!" D'Argo called out as he laid a hand on the Hynerian's tunic. "We must go! Have you been able to procure us the Iriscentent fluid?"

"Yes, yes. I've had it taken up to the transport pod –" Rygel started before D'Argo cut him off.

"Then we're done!" He said as he whipped Rygel out of his chair and carried him off to the transport pod with Zhaan in tow. "Once we get to the pod, launch the ship and return to Moya immediately. Assist Pilot with transferring the fluid into Moya's fluid tanks."

"What about you?" Zhaan asked of the Luxan.

"I'm going to deal with those two once and for all." He replied.

Waiting for Aeryn, Crichton was still observing the other aliens as they went about their business, it was funny, that even though they looked different, they acted more like humans did when they were shopping. Hearing as she approached him from the side, Aeryn spoke: "I've relayed our position and rendezvous point to a Command Carrier that's arriving in system. Soon, we'll be able to get off of this waste – hole of a planet." As they turned to leave, the Peacekeeper saw a bronzed barrel shaped vessel rising from an upper tier landing platform and heading off into the night sky. "Frell, that's the Leviathan's pod, they're getting away! Come on, we have to report it!"

John is reluctant. "Hey, do we have to? Aren't we about to be rescued any minute?" He asked before continuing. "I mean they're no danger to us –"

"They are prisoners! Escaped prisoners! They need to be recaptured. And your ship is aboard the Leviathan as well remember? We have to get them before they starburst –" Aeryn retorted annoyed with the human's naivety.

"I will never be a slave again, Peacekeeper!" D'Argo's voice called out, surprising them as he stepped out of the shadows with his Qualta blade in hand. Aeryn bolted forward in an effort to attack but John held her back before he let go, he knew she didn't stand a chance against that sword without a weapon of her own. "Do not tempt me." The Luxan snarled.

"Listen, you need to get out of here!" John said, trying to reason with the alien. "There's a ship full of Peacekeepers on its way here right now!"

Aeryn shot him a look of pure contempt. "Traitor!"

D'Argo grinned. "That's why I want you both aboard Moya, as insurance."

"Look, just go –" John started to say but trailed off as he spotted a group of black – clad soldiers, with rifles out at the ready. He noticed Aeryn quickly standing to attention at his side as the figures drew near. In the midst of the group walked a black dressed man with black hair, John knew that this guy was in charge right away; noticing the way the soldiers deferred to him. There was something off about him though…

"You are both such fools. I will not fall for such an ancient trick –" D'Argo scoffed as he recognised the age old and obviously universal tactic.

"But you already have, Luxan!" The guy in charge called out. Surprised, D'Argo spun and brandished his sword, snarling he goaded the Peacekeepers into making the first move. "If the Luxan gives you any trouble, shoot him." Crais ordered to his soldiers. He watched as his officers rounded on D'Argo and quickly subdued and disarmed the warrior.

"Captain Crais, sir." Aeryn called out but was ignored.

He looked right at him; for a moment he thought that he was indeed just another Sebacean, but it was the look on his face, the look of concern he wore for the Luxan; and the clothes he wore, so similar to Peacekeeper dress code were it not for the grey – bluish quilted shoulder section and the mock blue turtleneck shirt and the three gold pins on the collar of his shirt, possibly denoting a rank of some sort.

No Sebacean would wear such a uniform meaning that this… _being_ wasn't a Sebacean. Crais headed straight for him and circled around him. "Name."

"It's, uh, John Crichton." The human spoke. "Commander –"

Crais interrupted him. "And where are you from, John Crichton?" He asked but taking note of the military rank.

It was Aeryn who answered. "Sir, he claims to be human from a planet called _Erp_ , and also a Commander in his world's military called Starfleet." She said towards her superior before continuing. "He has shown himself to be –"

"What, Officer Sun?" Crais responded, interrupting her. "A Military Officer? A clever impostor, an _alien_ in the attempt of infiltrating our ranks. An accomplice to a ship full of escaping prisoners. My brother's murderer."

"Your brothers what?!" John repeated. He stared incredulous at those remarks; infiltrating the Peacekeepers?! He didn't even know they existed not too long ago.

"You charged my brother's Prowler in that white _death pod_ of yours." Crais said accusingly.

"You're talking about that near miss I had the first minute I got here." John said remembering the collision. "That was an accident."

"That was no near miss for my brother. You deem our Prowlers to be unworthy of destroying in battle. Such arrogance." Crais responded with anger burning in his eyes. John was speechless as Crais turned away from him. "Where is your ship? Our scanners detected its weapons and defences. Our techs would enjoy taking it apart and seeing what makes it work."

John didn't answer.

"Where is your ship?" Crais repeated harshly; he stalked over towards the human and looked him right in the eye. Immediately he could tell that the human wouldn't tell him. "Is it aboard the Leviathan? No matter, we will apprehend her and the other prisoners soon enough and obtain it."

John looked at him, he couldn't let Crais or the Peacekeepers get their hands on Starfleet technology.

"A human? That will require some study." Crais said looking John in the eye. "I will personally enjoy pulling you apart to see what you are made of." He finished before stepping back and turning away. The Peacekeeper Captain gestured for his soldiers to move in to take the human into custody.

"HEY!" John shouted whilst wishing that he had brought his phaser. As the soldiers grabbed him and placed restraints on his wrists John looked directly at Crais.

"Wait, sir!" Aeryn suddenly called out.

Crais looked over at his subordinate. "Yes, Officer Sun? Do you have something to add about this… _alien_?"

Aeryn stood at attention, wondering why she was coming to the aid of the human. Oh, it was that feeling again. "Only that I have spent time with him, sir. I do not believe that he is here to spy on us and that what happened to your brother's Prowler was an accident." She said looking straight ahead. "He claims that his world is currently at war with a race he calls the Scourge. It would be foolish of his kind to fight a war on two fronts. Especially a war with us."

There was a long silence as Crais slowly drew near to her. "You believe him?" He asked in a deceptive tone.

"Yes, sir. Despite his crafts level of technology, I do not believe that he is brave enough or intelligent enough to attack one of our Prowlers intentionally." Aeryn finished surely.

Despite the fact that she may have just insulted him, John knew that she had just stuck her neck out for him. But it was the look on Crais' face that clinched it for him; Aeryn was about to pay the price for defending him.

"Exactly how much time have you spent with this human, Officer Sun?" Crais asked.

Quickly coming to her defence, John spoke: "Not a lot. In fact not much time at all." He said quietly.

Crais didn't bother to respond. Sensing the human's and Aeryn's rising unease, he continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "As you know, Peacekeeper High Command has very clear parameters regarding contact with unclassified alien life forms. You may have very well exceeded those parameters, Officer Sun."

Looking very worried, Aeryn tried to speak: "No, sir –" But Crais kept talking over her.

"You may be irreversibly contaminated."

"No! Sir, I –" She tried again.

"Take them away! Take them all away!" He ordered in an almost jovial tone. "Prepare them for transit while we locate the other escapees."

As the prisoners were dragged away to a holding area near their Marauder, D'Argo growls at him: "Warrior to warrior, I vow one day I will kill you!"

Crais looked amused before he set his jaw firm. 'You will be avenged, brother.'

* * *

 _ **Moya**_

Zhaan waited patiently in the Command for any news from D'Argo; pacing up and down the room, she couldn't but feel her unease at the sudden disquiet increase… even as Rygel ate from a jar of fresh Janeray. "Pilot, how is it going?"

"Fluid tanks are nearly full. Should be another minute or two." The alien said, looking pleased as punch like a trucker who had found a gas station after travelling for so long in a desert.

"Has there been any word from D'Argo?" She asked.

Pilot sighed. "None." He said sincerely. "I'm sorry, Zhaan." The Delvian nodded before she left the Command leaving Rygel to enjoy his snack alone.

* * *

 _ **Commerce Planet**_

As the Peacekeepers secured him, D'Argo and Aeryn; in an alley next to their Marauder, John knew that he was in deep shit; Crais wanted his head for something that was an accident. He thinks that Earth wanted to attack the Peacekeepers, which was stupid in of itself! Earth still had their hands full with the Scourge, they weren't looking for another enemy. He shook his head, he needed to talk to Crais.

"Hey, I need to talk to talk to your superior." He called out to the guard.

"Shut up." The Peacekeeper replied

"I need to talk to Crais!" He tried again.

"I said shut up!" The guard repeated. "The Captain doesn't want to hear what you have got to say, alien scum."

Just then another guard appeared. "We've been cleared for take – off. Get these prisoners aboard the Marauder."

"Right." The guard said before he headed over towards John. "Turn around." He ordered, John complied and waited as the guard searched him for weapons; again he missed not having his phaser. Searching his hands, the guard pried his hand open and found his dad's puzzle ring. "What is this thing?"

John turned back to look. "It's a toy. A puzzle. You have to figure out how to take it apart and then put it back together again."

"Like a field resourcefulness exercise?" The guard asked him, John smiled despite himself before he had an idea.

"Yeah. Something like that." He turned fully to show the guard what to do. "Here, pull that loop through there…" He said directing the soldier to pull the loop away and then through the opening.

"Yeah…" The guard said slowly.

"… Then that one through there…" John directed next.

"... right, I got the hang of this." The guard said pleased with his progress.

"Now figure out how to put it back together again." Crichton said. As the soldier continued to mess about with the ring, the second guard came over, looking at what the fuss was about.

"What is this?" He asked as he tried to grab it. "It's a weapon!"

"You fool! Give it back here before you –!" The first guard said as he tried to keep it out of the other's reach

As they squabbled over the toy, John saw his prize; quickly reaching out for one of the guards' sidearm, John pushed the guards aside and backed up the steps next to D'Argo and Aeryn. "Freeze!" He said as he depressed the guns trigger and watched as small bolts of yellow plasma were fired. Everyone ducked out of the way of the wild shots before Crichton changed his grip on the weapon and again he wished that he had his phaser. "Don't move!"

"Throw me the key!" He ordered as he pointed the weapon at the guards. D'Argo looked on as the guards threw the key towards John. As the human caught the key and then waved the gun at the guards lest they tried rushing him, ordered them to lie down on the ground.

Aeryn watched as John worked to free himself whilst pointing the gun at her former compatriots, she was appalled by what had happened to her in the last few microts; her Peacekeeper upbringing was telling her that she should stop this now, that she should incapacitate the human and allow the guards to recapture him and the Luxan.

So what was stopping her?

"Give up now Officer Sun!" One of the guards called out, seeing her indecision and mistaking it for collaboration with the prisoners. "You might avoid the death sentence!"

D'Argo took his opportunity to get his restraints off. "Unlock me and then I will unlock you."

"No, me!" Aeryn suddenly called out, John looked at her hesitating. "Come on, there isn't time!"

Quickly making his choice, John turned towards D'Argo. "Unlock me." He told him as he threw the Luxan the key. He saw the Luxan hesitate for a second, but the guards tried to move. "Stay down!" John turned back toward the Luxan. "If you run, you're going to have to explain just why you're wearing Peacekeeper handcuffs."

The human was right and he knew it. Giving in, D'Argo unlocked John's restraints.

"Now unlock me." The Luxan said as John worked the cuffs off of his wrists.

"No! He is a criminal!" Aeryn called out.

"We all are, remember?" John replied to her. "Can you get me away from here and back to my ship?" He then asked looking at D'Argo.

"What?!"

"Can you get me away from here? Away from Crais and these over amped rent – a – cops?" He clarified. "And we take her too."

"What?! Never! I will take you." D'Argo responded to the offer before continuing. "You are manageable, but she –"

"If she stays, we all stay!" John said resolutely. Aeryn and D'Argo looked at him as if he was completely insane. D'Argo relented and John handed him the weapon before he undid the Luxan's restraints and then turned towards Aeryn.

"No, I will not come with you!" Aeryn said.

John worked her cuffs off. "You've been irreversibly contaminated, remember?"

"It means death, Peacekeeper." The Luxan said. "If you come with us, at least you have a chance!"

"It is my duty, my breeding since birth." Aeryn said in response. "It's what I am!"

"You can be more." John said looking at her intently.

She stared at the human as his words resonated within her; Aeryn had heard those words only once before a long time ago. "Fine, come on!" She said looking at the end of her life as a Peacekeeper. She was keeping the Prowler though. "Prowler's this way." She said reaching down and picking up the Guards weapons.

"Lead the way." John said as he and D'Argo fell in behind her.

"We should kill these two before they inform Crais of our escape." The Luxan suggested.

"No! there's no time." Aeryn said. "The Command Carrier's probably already in orbit above the planet. We only have a short window to return to the Leviathan."

D'Argo growled, she was right. Opening his mouth, the Luxan used his tongue lash on the two guards and knocked them out.

"Is that what you did to me?" The human asked. "Man, that's disgusting!"

D'Argo growled. "Do not make me regret bringing you along with us, human."

* * *

 _ **Moya**_

Inside of Moya's central chamber, as Pilot worked the controls on Moya's console panel the connection he shared with Moya had allowed him to detect the Prowler's arrival. " _Pilot, open the hanger bay._ " D'Argo's voice called out through the comms.

"Ka D'Argo?" Pilot began. "How did you –"

" _There's no time!_ " The Luxan's voice said cutting the Pilot off. " _Once we're aboard break orbit and get away from the planet! The Command Carrier's –"_

"Yes, I'm aware…" Pilot quickly interrupted as he followed the Luxan's order. "… Moya has detected the Command Carrier eighty metras out from the planet. It's getting closer."

" _We're almost there now, Pilot._ "

"We?"

" _I have the human and the Peacekeeper with me, they helped me to escape from Crais. Tell Zhaan and Rygel I'll be there momentarily._ "

"Zhaan…" Pilot called out from the clamshell projector. "… D'Argo is returning the Peacekeeper's Prowler. He is telling us to leave orbit immediately."

The Delvian was overjoyed at the news. "Thank Khalaan!"

"He has the Peacekeeper pilot and the other one with him!" Pilot informed her. "He says that they helped him escape from Crais."

"Don't believe it!" Rygel called out suddenly. "Can't you see that they're forcing him to say that! Let them board, I'll free the Luxan and take them both in the hanger bay." He finished but was ignored by the others.

Zhaan looked at the Hynerian for a moment before she dismissed him. "Pilot, break orbit!"

"Destination?" The alien asked smoothly.

Just then, D'Argo and the others had entered the Command. "Set course for the Uncharted Territories, Pilot." Rygel made a face at the Luxan's suggestion as he and Zhaan look at them. "I'll explain later." He finished just as he took his station at one of the control consoles.

"Attention! The Command Carrier is closing in on our position, sixty metras and closing fast! She is bringing her Frag cannons around to bear!" Pilot informed them all.

"Frag cannons?" John asked with a frown.

"What is the range of their Frag cannons, Pilot?" D'Argo asked.

"I'm afraid Moya and I aren't sufficiently conversed with Peacekeeper weapons technology." Everyone looked at Aeryn for the answer.

"Forty – five metras." She answered looking ill at revealing the information.

"What's the problem?" John said before continuing. "Let's just do another one of those starburst things."

"We can't. Moya needs to replenish her energy reserves first." Zhaan replied.

John took the information in stride as he began formulating a plan to get them out of this mess and away from Crais. "Attention! Distance from Carrier is now fifty metras. The Carrier will enter firing range in fifteen microts." Pilot called out from the clamshell.

As everyone stood there, they all knew that this was the end; there was no way that they could get enough speed and put enough distance between them and the Carrier. "Turn this ship around, I've got an idea." John suddenly called out.

"What?!" Rygel called out as everyone looked at the human.

"Turn the ship around. We've got to go back toward the planet." Crichton repeated.

"Back to the planet?" Rygel exclaimed incredulously. "Are you mad?! The Command Carrier's right behind us, between us and the planet!"

"Frag cannons are locking on!" Pilot called out.

"Crichton?" Zhaan asked as she moved closer to the human.

"Exactly how big is Moya?" John asked the Delvian. "What's her top speed?"

"Hetch Nine." D'Argo responded to the question. "Why?"

"She's probably about fifteen hundred metres long…" They heard John mutter to himself whilst internally the human was cursing the fact that the Scourge attack on his module had damaged his sensors before he had arrived.

"What are you drivelling on about?!" Rygel raged at him, completely frightened that he was either about to get blown up by a Command Carrier or the strange alien was about to kill them all.

John looked at them all. "It's a theory I've been working on. It has to do overcoming atmospheric friction."

"Are you completely insane?!" Rygel asked aloud.

"I'm trying to save us!" Crichton responded harshly to the Hynerian Royal; Rygel looked cowed as John calmed down some and looked at Pilot's projection. "Listen, we're going to have to hit a pretty exact trajectory. Can you do that?"

Pilot's projection looked at him as if he was crazy. "I'm doing all I can to maintain Moya's regular systems at this speed."

Undeterred and not wanting to be blown up, John pressed on. "Well, can Moya be flown manually?!"

"You're absolutely fahrbot!" Rygel declared as he looked right at him. "Manually?!" He asked sneering.

"What are you doing –?" Zhaan asked again.

"Look, I am trying to save us all from the really big spaceship that's going to shoot us out of the sky!" He said looking at the Delvian. "Can Moya be flown manually?"

"Yes…" D'Argo answered him. "… but there are –"

"Good, you do it." He said looking right at the Luxan.

D'Argo looked affronted. "I am not trained as a _pilot_."

"Oh for god's sake!" Crichton cursed as he looked at the Luxan then towards Aeryn. "Fine, you're the pilot. _You_ fly."

Aeryn looked at him incredulously. "What?! No."

"This is insanity!" Rygel screamed out.

"The Carrier's entering firing range. Everyone, hold on to something!" Pilot said as the Leviathan came under fire. John and Aeryn braced themselves against the table that they were eating at earlier whilst Zhaan held onto the nearest control panel as Moya was rocked by a glancing impact on her ventral hull.

"Then it appears that our only option is death." Zhaan stated as she suddenly started to praying.

D'Argo didn't like that option, furiously stalking over towards Aeryn, the Luxan hissed at her and dragged her over toward the forward Command station. "Pilot! Give me manoeuvrability now!"

"We may dodge one shot but never all of them!" Pilot said as he was reluctant to surrender control of Moya to the Peacekeeper.

"DO IT!" Everyone on the Command shouted; his projection on the clamshell was visibly irritated to say the least before he transferred helm control over to the others.

Everyone looked as the Command station automatically rotated up in front of the Peacekeeper; there was a control stick fixed centrally onto a dais – like apparatus. John came up beside her. "You got this. Just keep us heading toward the planet." He said to her, trying to be comforting and showing confidence in her abilities as a pilot.

"Was this what you were testing out when you arrived?" Aeryn asked him suddenly as she laid her hand upon the control.

"What?" John asked looking at her suddenly before registering the question. "No. I was testing a new type of faster – than – light propulsion my people were developing." He said informing her. "But the Scourge attacked before I could initialise the drive." Moya shuddered again as she was nearly hit by weapons fire.

"And that was when you fell into this… _wormhole_?" She repeated.

"Yeah." Crichton answered as he held the side of the Command console.

* * *

 _ **Command Carrier**_

"Continue firing!" Crais ordered his Weapons Officer. As the Carrier's frag cannons continued to pump round after round of cannon fire into the Leviathan's path.

"Target is banking, sir!" The Weapons Officer responded as he read the information from his targeting sensors as they showed the Leviathan dipping and banking out of the way of the cannon fire.

"Reacquire." Crais ordered.

"She's banking towards us, sir!" The Weapons Officer clarified.

"Captain, the Leviathan is accelerating!" Lieutenant Teeg said as she looked at her console. Crais and the Command's officers looked as Moya suddenly came into view through the viewports at close range.

"We end this now!" Crais said angrily as he pushed the Weapons Officer aside and took over Weapons Control. "Helm Officer, bring us around!" Crais ordered as he swiped his hand over the console. He wasn't about to let the human escape him now, not when he was so close!

* * *

 _ **Moya**_

Still holding onto the Command station, John looked at Aeryn as the commerce planet came into view. "Just go for the maximum speed and let the planet's gravity pull us in!" He ordered. As Aeryn held onto the control she felt the control stick shuddering in her grasp, she used all her strength to keep it in place and tried not to lose control of the Leviathan.

"Dive straight into the atmosphere…" John called out as the sounds of metal straining was heard. "… Keep us at a trajectory of twenty – eight to thirty – eight degrees, you got it?!"

As she followed his order, Aeryn could feel the strain on the ship through the control increasing as Moya was buffeted by the planet's gravity. "More speed!" She heard the human call out. "More speed to slingshot us out of the atmosphere!"

"We are there!" She heard Pilot call out as she watched through the Command's viewport as a trail of glowing superheated gases formed on the Leviathan's bow and was left in her wake.

"Pull us out!" John ordered. "Pull us out now!" And as she did so, pulling up on the control stick, there was a snap of bright light for a moment as she finally felt the planet's gravity release its hold on the Leviathan as Moya rocketed up into the black void and past the Command Carrier before disappearing into deep space.

* * *

 _ **Command Carrier – Moments Before**_

As the Command crew watched as the Leviathan skimmed the commerce planet's upper atmosphere, Lieutenant Teeg watched in stupefied disbelief as she saw the Leviathan do the impossible. "Sir, the Leviathan… she's –"

"I have eyes, Lieutenant." Crais snapped as he angrily watched the Leviathan as it began to glow and leave a trail of gases behind her before she suddenly broke free of the planet's gravity and shot past them, heading into deep space. "Track them!" Crais ordered as he approached Teeg at her station.

The Lieutenant attempted to follow his orders, but as she increased the range on the Carrier's long range sensors every time the Leviathan quickly reached the threshold, she finally lost the signal and the Leviathan was gone from her scanner. "She's off our scanners, Captain." She informed her irritated looking superior. "We've lost them."

His jaw set tight, Crais turned as his eyes wandered in the direction that the Leviathan headed. "Project their last course and heading, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir." After a few moments of accessing the required data, Teeg had the information. "Their course and heading will take them into the Unchartered Territories, Captain." Teeg felt obligated to inform her superior that they were not allowed to follow them without special dispensation from Peacekeeper High Command.

Crais rounded on her. "I am aware of that, Lieutenant." He said to her scolding. "Inform the Marauder detachment, to be on the look – out for the Leviathan." He ordered sharply. "I want to be informed immediately of their location as soon as they are found." He said before turning to look at Teeg. "Am I clear, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

 _ **Moya**_

As the crew watched as the Leviathan sailed deep into space, they were all elated that they had finally escaped Crais and the Command Carrier. As Pilot joyously informed them that the Carrier was indeed off of Moya's sensors, Crichton looked at Aeryn. "Good job. Thank you."

Unaccustomed to praise from anyone other than her former superiors in the Peacekeepers, Aeryn nodded at the human.

Zhaan smiled at the human, realising that everyone owed him a debt for helping him to escape. "Thank you, John. You can let go of the console now." She said as she neared him. Taking his head in her hands, the Delvian placed her mouth to his ear.

John looked strange at the move before he remembered the all too brief lesson he got back at Starfleet about First Contact with alien cultures and their customs, but he even remembered the lessons as they helped the Scoobies deal with peaceful and non – violent demons back home. Taking the gesture as a sign of thanks, he suddenly jumped as he felt a strange sensation in his inner ear that greatly surprised him.

D'Argo and Aeryn looked at the scene incredulously as Zhaan moved off, John looked at them both as if he was hoping for an explanation as to the hell he had just experienced, but there was none forthcoming.

"Well then…" Zhaan suddenly called out making everyone turn to look at her. "… I think we can all breathe a little easier now that we don't have to worry about Crais for the time being." She said before looking at John and Aeryn. "You two must be tired. If you like, I can show you to some personal quarters?"

D'Argo suddenly looked at them as if he was about to say something to them both, but instantly thought better of it for the moment.

"Uh, thanks." John said nodding his head before he looked at Aeryn and then headed over towards Zhaan. The Peacekeeper followed him, not wanting to be left with the others as she could feel that they barely still trusted her, not that she trusted them either. She watched as Zhaan smiled and then lead them out of the Command.

As they moved through the Leviathan's hallways, Zhaan turned to John. "I hope you understand that we had to make sure that you could be trusted, earlier." She said smiling at the human. "It's just that you look so similar to the Peacekeepers –"

"No, hey I understand." John replied. "Though next time you want to know anything about me, ask me."

"Of course." She said as they entered the next tier. "The quarters are this way. They used to belong to the Peacekeepers that crewed Moya when she wore the control collar."

"Where are they now?" Aeryn asked her.

Zhaan turned to look at her. "I'm afraid that we had to kill them when we escaped our cells."

Aeryn looked at her with narrowed eyes before she remembered her own situation. It was a solemn reminder that if they encountered anymore Peacekeepers, she may be forced to defend herself from her former compatriots.

Soon, they finally arrived at their quarters. "Please feel free to choose which ones you both prefer." Zhaan said to the both of them before she stopped. "Oh, and I believe this belongs to you." She said to John before reaching inside her blue gown. The human and Sebacean waited as Zhaan revealed John's tricorder and handed it back to him. "We had to be sure that this wasn't a weapon you could've used against us."

"It's called a Tricorder. It's a scanning device." John replied back as he opened it up to check if it was still operational. "It's harmless."

"Yes, we know that now." Zhaan said before continuing. "It's a very sophisticated device, perhaps you could show me how it works sometime?"

John looked at her. "Yeah, sure." He said, thinking that whilst it was against Starfleet's policy, he was going to be stuck here until he repaired the module.

"Well, if you need anything, feel free to contact me or Pilot." Zhaan said before she moved to leave them alone.

"Hey, uh, which way to the hanger bay?" John suddenly called out to her making the Delvian stop and turn back. "I need to check on my ship."

"Back this way and then turn left down the corridor and keep heading down towards the lower end of tier seven." Zhaan directed him. "Then turn left at the end."

John nodded at her before Zhaan left them alone. Aeryn looked at him for a moment before she too couldn't think of anything to say in the suddenly awkward silence that permeated between the two the them. Suddenly leaving John alone, she moved to choose her own quarters. "Great. So glad we could talk." John muttered sarcastically before he entered the first cabin he found.

Later, as he finished checking over the Farscape One in the hanger bay, John had made a quick note of the extent of the damage again and what needed repairing, now that he had the time to thoroughly check everything, he still grimaced as the damaged looked pretty extensive. "Goddamn it!" He cursed as he ran a diagnostic on the quantum slipstream drive and noted that the Benamite crystals had fractured due to the Scourge's attack and the drive housing needed to be extensively repaired. Then, checking the warp drive, he cursed the fact that the matter/anti – matter intermix chamber was damaged and the deuterium injectors were ruptured.

"Oh, I hope the Enterprise blew those bastards back to hell…" He muttered as he then checked on the impulse drive. After running another diagnostic, he was relieved to see that the impulse manifold didn't look too bad and just need realigning.

Suddenly feeling tired and knowing that his module was repairable, John finished running his diagnostics, resolving to finish checking it over again in the morning. The human grabbed his engineering and diagnostic tools together and placed them back in their equipment case before he went to the cockpit and grabbed the first aid kit and his phaser and his emergency bag from the module before he then triggered the hatch to close and moved to leave.

Making his lonely way out of the hanger bay and into the adjoining maintenance bay, intent on heading back to his quarters, Crichton was surprised when D'Argo appeared out of nowhere suddenly. "We need to talk!" The Luxan said aggressively shoving him against the wall.

"Get your hands off of me!" He said shoving the Luxan away.

D'Argo smirked. "You have a warrior's instinct. Good. We'll need that, Scientist." He said with a small chuckle.

"Cool." John said looking at him before he made to move.

D'Argo suddenly shoved him again back against the wall and pinned him there as he drew his Qualta blade and held it at the human's throat. "I have spent eight degrading cycles aboard this ship and now I'm finally free!"

"Congratulations."

"You may have saved us from Crais and the Command Carrier, but that doesn't mean I trust you. I don't know who you are, where you're from or what you want. If you threaten my freedom, I'll kill you." He finished before releasing the human and left, satisfied that he'd gotten his point across.

John rubbed his throat as he tried to calm down before he heard Aeryn's voice. "Luxan's are a brutal race." She said blandly. "Uncivilised, indiscriminate in their deployment of violence. You should be careful."

"A lot like the Peacekeepers then?"

"The Peacekeepers might've helped you if you hadn't placed us in this position." Aeryn stated coolly.

"Me? Try your boy, Crais." John rebutted.

"Oh, so you haven't forgotten about him?" She asked smirking. "I know he hasn't forgotten about you."

"Well, Pilot says that since we've entered the Unchartered Territories, your people don't have jurisdiction to enter."

"Crais thinks you killed his brother." Aeryn gloated. "In such a case, do you really think he would obey jurisdictional boundaries?" John didn't answer as he knew the real answer to her question already. Aeryn continued. "Listen to me, if you want to live long enough to repair your ship and get back to your people, then choose your allegiances carefully. That's not to say there's any guarantee though." She finished before leaving him alone in the maintenance bay.

John sighed as he realised that Aeryn was right; making his way over to a nearby workbench John sat down next to one of Moya's DRDs. It was the one that he had damaged accidently when he triggered the manual release on the module's hatch and the small drone had went flying off into the barrels. "Come here." He said motioning to the little drone, feeling bad that he had damaged it. "I'm not going to hurt you, come here."

The DRD skittered over toward him as John set his bag on the table and rummaged through it for a few moments and then opened his equipment case. From his bag, he picked out a roll of electrical tape whilst from his equipment case he had picked out a micro – fusing coupler. At seeing the strange looking tool, the DRD was hesitant to approach further; John noticed the little drone's hesitance and couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped. "Don't worry, this can fix your eyestalk."

The DRD squeaked at him as its sole eye looked over at the roll of electrical tape.

John chuckled again. "Just in case." He answered the small drone.

The DRD looked between the two before it decided to trust the human; inching closer toward John, the human reached out and gently handled the broken eyestalk as he held the broken pieces together. "Now keep still…" John told it as he lifted the tool and depressed the small button; the coupler suddenly hummed into life as the tip of the tool began emitting a soft blue glow, then John brought it to the broken eyestalk.

The DRD squeaked as it registered the broken eyestalk and the optical wiring slowly knitting back together. After a few moments John turned the tool off and placed it back on the table by the equipment case, before he let go of the repaired eyestalk. "Good as new. Guess I don't need this now." He said as the eye slowly blinked back on.

The DRD looked at John as he placed his tools and electrical tape back in his emergency bag and then fetched out his old tape recorder. The DRD looked at the strange looking device, wondering what it was.

"It's a recorder. I like doing things the old fashioned way. Sometimes." John said as he deduced the DRD's inquisitive nature. The DRD squeaked in acknowledgement as John pressed a button then spoke. "Hey dad, I'm alive! Turns out I fell through a wormhole… I think." He started. "But hey! It worked. My slingshot theory actually worked… sort of. Listen, I know this is crazy, I mean you're probably never going to get to hear this, but, uh, there's been no sign of the Scourge that fell into the anomaly so far. Here's hoping that they're gone." He said as the DRD noticed his melancholy. "I, uh, don't know where I am… I'm probably in my own little Delta Quadrant, but I'm not gonna stop trying to get home, dad."

As he stopped talking to get his bearings as his fatigue threatened to get the better of him, John sensed movement behind him. Reaching behind him, the human saw that it was Rygel and he was reaching for the tape recorder. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" He said grabbing the small hand.

"Your equipment may be worth some value." Rygel said as he evaluated their worth. It was an understatement as the Hynerian had seen John use the micro – fusing coupler to repair the DRD's eyestalk. He knew that such technology would fetch a high price here in the Unchartered Territories.

"My equipment. It's mine." He said shoving the little alien's hand away.

Rygel gave him a mocking smile in response. "Are you a sound sleeper?" He asked chuckling before he sailed off in his hover chair leaving John looking miserable and spooked.

John sighed again before he picked up the recorder again. "And there's life out here dad, Roddenberry was right after all. It's weird, amazing… _psychotic_ and insane. And in technicolour…" He said before sighing again. "… you know those rattlers you talked about before? Well, dad, I got 'em now."

* * *

 _ **Earlier**_

Murg held on to his command chair as his Bird – of – Prey spun end over end into the anomaly following the Enterprise's attack. "Get control of the ship back, now!" He ordered.

"I'm trying, sir!" One of his subordinates said as the demon held on to the control panel.

"Do it! Or I'll flay the flesh from your bones!" The ship leader threatened as he looked out of the viewing screen and saw the quicksilver and bluish walls of the twisting corridor. As the demon at the ships' helm control attempted to regain control of the ship the Bird – of – Prey was suddenly forced back into normal space. "About time, you fool." Murg said as he looked around the Bridge at his crew.

He noticed that one of his demons was slumped against the wall, its head at an unusual angle, Murg scowled as he recognised the demon as his Weapons Officer, the fool's neck had been broken when he hit the bulkhead. "Our position?" Murg asked.

The demon at the sensor station, took one moment to find the information; as he used the gifted knowledge from Ethan Rayne's chaos spell to work the Klingon ships' sensors, he was dismayed to find out that they were nowhere near Earth or the human space station. "Unknown, sir."

Murg turned to look at him. "What?!"

"Ship leader, according to the ship's sensors, we are not in the Solar System." The demon subordinate replied.

Murg did not look pleased by the news; then he remembered the human's module. At least he'd get to torture and kill the human Admiral's spawn. "What about the human's module?"

The demon at the sensor station checked his instruments again as he took note of his ship leader's tone of voice; after a minute, he gulped, knowing that his life was coming to an end. "Th – The human's craft isn't on sensors – URK!"

Murg had charged forwards at the demon and wrapped his hand around it's throat; snarling, the ship leader reached for his D'k tahg he had found whilst searching the Captain's quarters when he first claimed the ship when Rayne had brought it into being. Thrusting the knife into the demon's chest, Murg took great pleasure at the look of sheer terror and pain that marred dying demon's features. "You're relieved." Murg told the demon just before he saw the life leave his subordinate's eyes and he dropped the demon to the floor.

As the rest of the bridge crew watched their leader and waited for his ire to dissipate, Murg turned and looked at his crew, he smirked. Pleased that he was able to instil such fear into them for failing him, he pointed at one of the demons. "You! You're now in charge of the sensors. Get rid of _that_ out the airlock!"

"Yes, Ship leader." The new Sensor Officer said as he complied with Murg's order.

"And someone, find out where we are!" He ordered of his crew.

Just then… "Ship leader." Murg turned towards the demon who had spoken. He had taken over the Weapons Station. "I'm picking up a ship on the long range sensors. Three hundred thousand kilometres off starboard."

"Human?" Murg inquired.

The demon checked the readings and was surprised when the information revealed that the ship was of an unknown configuration. "No, sir. The ship's computer does not recognise the design."

Murg knew what he had to do, plus he took great pleasure in the fact that he was finally getting to kill something. "Helm, set course for the ship, full impulse." Murg turned towards the Weapons Officer. "Is the cloak still online?"

"… it is, Ship leader." The demon responded after he had checked the instruments.

Murg grinned. "Cloak the ship. Standby to arm weapons as soon as we are in range of the ship. Target it's engines and weapons. I want prisoners."

"Yes, sir." The demon replied as the Bird – of – Prey moved off to intercept the unknown ship. Murg allowed the grin to stay on his face the entire time even as the unknown ship came into view. Murg observed the huge massive vessel; the sensors measured it as over five and a half thousand metres long, had two half rings joined to a massive central structure on either side and two smaller half rings affixed to the top of the hull.

"Ship leader…" The demon at the sensors called out. "… I'm picking up over fifty thousand life signs on board."

"Fifty thousand?!" Murg repeated.

"Yes, Ship leader." The demon responded. "All humanoid." He said with a grin on his rotting features.

"Humanoid, eh?" Murg said grinning. "Close enough. Drop cloak, raise shields and open fire." He ordered as he watched as his crew suddenly adorned looks of relish at the ensuing carnage they were about cause.

As the Bird – of – Prey de – cloaked five thousand kilometres off of the unknown vessel's portside, it opened fire. Green streaks of disruptor fire shot forth from the great predator's weapons, taking the huge ship by surprise as it was struck amid ships before a photon torpedo shortly followed the attack, striking the ship with incredible force.

As the unknown crew aboard the huge vessel scrambled to return fire upon the unknown smaller vessel, the ship was rocked again due to the impressive firepower the smaller and faster ship wielded.

"Target their communications." Murg ordered as he watched the destruction. "Let's make sure they can't get a signal off." He finished with a smile as the K'vort class heavy cruiser continually strafed the massive vessel. He chuckled as his eyes manged to pick up the dead bodies of men, women and surprisingly children as they floated amongst the vacuum of space. "Indeed, they are humanoid." He said as they targeted one of the vessels outer cannon emplacements before coming around and firing on the ships engines.

As he ordered another spread of torpedoes to be fired at the ships central habitat, Murg grinned, sometimes he had all the fun!

* * *

 _ **Author's Note**_

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas and are still having a good holiday!

Here's chapter two of New Horizons. I hope you enjoy. This has been a joy to do, the Scourge's encounter with a Peacekeeper Command Carrier was a nice touch for me to include I think and it foreshadows the carnage that a K'vort class Bird - of - Prey crewed by demons can ensure in the Unchartered Territories.

Next chapter will bring the focus back toward Earth as they deal with the aftermath of the attack and Jack's and DK's despair over John's loss. We'll see Starfleet step up their efforts in defeating the Scourge including a fleet battle against the Scourge at Wolf 359.

Stay tuned. Read and Review.

 **Now for Review comments: -**

 **edboy4926 - Thank you.**

 **mirela - rat.7. - Thank you very much; I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.**

 **inuboy86 - DONE DONE DONE! Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **andrewjameswilliams - Thank you very much. I like your fics as well, particularly your Robotech/B5 crossover 'A Different Kind of War' at TTH. Still waiting for the next sequel to that by the way :D**

 **Kamagong - Thanks. I do eventually intend to include some of those classes into the story, particularly when I bring Starfleet into the Unchartered Territories.**

 **bgoraussie - Thank you. I'm actually surprised no one's ever done it before:D**

 **Guest who wrote cool and nifty - Thank you. Leave a name.**

 **Bobboky - Thank you.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs - Thanks:D**

See you all next time!


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